Beam Up Papa Bear
by Basketballgirl Kaitlin
Summary: When Colonel Hogan is kidnapped by Romulans sent back in time for a suicide mission, Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty must return to Germany 1944 and work with Hogan's men to save him, or history will be altered forever. The two teams join sides to accomplish their assignment, struggle to gain one another's trust, and run into obstacles along the way.
1. Chapter 1: The Kidnapping

**A/N:** Well, it's certainly been awhile since I posted something! College was tying me down for several months and another 'Hogan's Heroes' project that I just finished. I'm hopeful to get back on my posting schedule and publish some new stories in the upcoming future. This is my very first attempt at a crossover, and both excited and nervous for it! Constructive criticism is highly encouraged, but be nice! Again, this is my first swing at one of these and not near some of the writers' skills on here. I'll will provide information on both fandoms as much as possible. If there are still questions about either show, don't hesitate to message me! I'll gladly answer any to the best of my ability. I'll shut up now and let you people get to reading the good stuff. Enjoy! Reviews highly encouraged! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Kidnapping:**

He just did not understand it all. He could not wrap his mind around the entire thing. After such a successful mission, how did it all fail before his eyes? One of his crewmen. Dead. Right before him. Had he had never decided to cross that bridge, things may have ended differently.

The Romulan disguised as Gestapo stood still, hidden in the forest, as he looked out into the night. He could not make his eyes leave the now blown up bridge. Someone had sabotaged the bridge killing one of his men. It could not go without punishment. Someone had to pay for the loss of someone in his command. But who? Who would this person be? (1)

Another Romulan, a lieutenant dressed as a Gestapo captain, walked over to his leader and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, sir?" The Romulan asked.

The Romulan leader turned to face his man.

"Someone is responsible for Rekar's death. I must find them and finish them. They will pay for the life they took with theirs," the Romulan leader sneered.

"They shall. But how do we find them?"

"We will find a way, Talar, don't worry."

Talar and the leader walked away from the sight of the explosion to the remaining one of their unit. He was another lieutenant dressed as another Gestapo captain.

"What do we do next, Commander?" The Romulan asked.

"We will return to home base. Tomorrow, we start our search for this assassin. We will show him what us Romulans what we are capable of," the commander answered.

"But, Commander," Talar began. "What if we can't find this man?"

"Then we will search every inch of Germany until he is found, and we kill him on spot. Follow me, men," the commander hissed.

Both Talar and the other Romulan looked at one another, sighed, and followed their commanding officer through the forest, as they started heading back to home base to rest until tomorrow morning.

* * *

Hogan was walking home carrying a detonator and some explosives in his hand. He had to go retrieve them after Carter had left them there at the site of their recent sabotage. The American colonel could only shake his head.

"Carter, I swear to God one of these days your shenanigans are gonna get us killed," Hogan muttered to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, the Romulan commander and his two men were hiding in the bushes. They had heard someone walking from an unknown destination. They saw a man wearing a crush cap and a leather jacket with a white scarf wrapped around his neck. He was carrying explosives in his hands and it set off the commander big time. He was about ready to jump out of the shrubbery and murder the man head on, when Talar grabbed the commander by the arm.

"Wait a minute. What if we get him by surprise? If we confront him, he might put up a fight. This way, we have no trouble of grabbing him." He asked.

The other subordinate looked over at Talar and grinned wickedly at him.

"Talar, I like your way of thinking."

He held back from giving an evil chuckle.

The three Romulans quickly checked their surroundings, making sure Hogan was not looking back at them and far away enough he wouldn't hear them, then snuck out in the clearing behind the American officer, who was unknowingly being followed.

Hogan felt a sudden chill roll up his spine. He was growing a little suspicious of someone following him, but could not put his finger on why, though. He ignored it, thinking it was probably just an animal wandering around late at night. He walked off course to Stalag 13 for a moment, not wanting to lead any possible enemy back to camp. He had his men and operation to protect. Once he felt he had lost track of them, he carried on his way back home.

The Romulan commander grabbed something out of his pocket, a gun. He looked at his men and smiled menacingly. They made their way silently behind some bushes, managing to get ahead of the colonel hiding in the shadows, and waited for their prey to make its way towards them. Once Hogan had reached their location, the commander took the gun high in the air and at the right moment, he smacked it down hard onto the colonel's head. Hogan made a slight 'ooof' noise and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Talar got out his gun and pointed it at Hogan. He pulled the slide to release a round into his gun, when the commander put his arm in front of it.

"Hold it; let's not kill him just yet."

"What do you mean?" The other lieutenant asked.

"Maybe we can have a little fun with this man." The commander chuckled.

Both Talar and the other lieutenant looked at one another with an evil look on their faces. They then turned back to their commanding officer and nodded.

The leading Romulan chuckled softly and looked down at the body before his feet. To someone else, it would look like Hogan was just sleeping.

Talar took the man and handcuffed him. The other lieutenant then picked him up and carried him on his shoulder. The three Romulans started walking off with Hogan back to their hidden headquarters. They would enjoy holding their new prisoner for ransom...and would eventually kill him.

* * *

Carter was pacing back and forth in the barracks. He was worried about Hogan, who should have came back over two hours ago. He knew it did not take long to get to the sabotage scene and retrieve the explosives. He knew his commanding officer was in trouble, but what was it, he wondered.

Newkirk had put a cigarette in his mouth, and LeBeau was fumbling with his fingers. All three of them were worried sick. They had finally sent Kinch out to look for him.

"Boy," Carter said. "I sure hope the Colonel's okay."

"Maybe he's just hiding from a Gestapo patrol." LeBeau answered, trying to remain positive.

"The Gov'nor would've been back by now had it been a Gestapo patrol." Newkirk groaned, taking a drag.

"Where could he be? The explosion site isn't far from here," Carter wondered.

"Wouldn't we _all_ like to know," Newkirk murmured.

The fake bunk opened, and Kinch climbed out from it. He closed the bunk and walked over to his friends with a grim look on his face.

"Did you find him?" Carter asked, concerned.

"I've looked everywhere that he could've gone. There's no sign of him whatsoever," Kinch answered.

"Oh, I don't like this. _Quelqu'un aurait pu le tuer_!" LeBeau cried.

"Louis, speak bloody English!" Newkirk cried.

"I said 'someone could've killed him'!"

"Kinch, what are we gonna do?" Carter exclaimed.

"We have to find the Colonel!" LeBeau cried.

"I know, I know; and we're gonna do everything we can to find him...but first, I need to know what it is we're exactly gonna do," Kinch said, trying to think.

"Maybe we could have someone investigate the area," Carter suggested.

"Where the bloody hell are we gonna find a ruddy detective, Andrew?" Newkirk remarked, in a snippy tone.

"I just want someone to find him! Geez!"

Newkirk sighed and looked at Carter kindly.

"I'm sorry, mate. I'm just scared is all," Newkirk said.

"Oh, it's alright, buddy. We _all_ are," Carter answered, giving a sad smile.

Newkirk returned the same smile; then they all went back to the important matter at hand.

"What are we going to do about Klink?" LeBeau asked, worried.

"We'll tell him that the Colonel was kidnapped during the night," Kinch answered.

"Wouldn't yah think the guards would've seen someone sneaking into camp?" Newkirk asked, slightly irritated.

"Well then why didn't anyone catch him with Colonel Hogan?" Kinch remarked.

"We need a ransom note to make it more believable," LeBeau said.

Newkirk grabbed a pen and notepad.

"What do yah want me to write, mate?" The Englishman asked.

"Write this," Kinch said. "Say 'Pay over 7000 German marks, or Colonel Hogan dies'."

Newkirk finished scribbling the note down in a different handwriting from his and handed it to Kinch.

Kinch read it over and nodded, then he turned to look at his friends.

"Follow me," Kinch ordered.

Carter, Newkirk, and LeBeau followed Kinch into Hogan's quarters. The radio man looked around for somewhere to put the note and finally decided to just leave it on the lower bunk. He walked over to his friends when he was finished, and crossed his arms.

"Kinch," Carter quivered. "Do you think the colonel's alright?"

Kinch only sighed.

"I hope so, Andrew...I sure hope so."

* * *

*"Star Trek" is a science fiction TV show that was first aired in September 1966. It is about Captain James Kirk and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise, as they travel the galaxy for new civilization and to create peace among the planets in the far away galaxies from Earth.

*"Hogan's Heroes" is a comedy TV show that was first aired in 1965. It takes place in a German POW camp during WWII, the infamous Stalag 13 known for their perfect 'no escape' record on the supervision of Kommandant Wilhelm Klink. Colonel Robert Hogan from the United States Army Air Corps. and his friends and commanding crew run a secret espionage and sabotage unit underneath the camp and are given assignments from London or the underground to defeat the Germans and help end WWII and Hitler's reign from power.

(1) A Romulan, according to Memory Alpha's databases, is a humanoid race from the planet known as Romulus and biological cousins of Vulcans, the race of the well known Mr. Spock's people.


	2. Chapter 2: A Call For Help

**A/N:** I forgot to mention this in that last A/N I left in chapter one, but huge shout out to my beta for this story, snooky-9093! You are the bomb! And now, the next installment of 'Beam Up Papa Bear'! Begin! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Call For Help:**

( _USS Enterprise: Stardate 2268.4_ )

Captain James T. Kirk sat in his chair on the bridge, socializing with his second in command, Commander Spock, and his third in command and Chief Engineering Officer, Montgomery Scott or Scotty as everyone called him.

Things had been recently very uneventful for the Starship Enterprise. They had been simply roaming space for about three days waiting and hoping Starfleet Command would give them a new assignment. The crew was beginning to grow bored.

"Scotty, how are the engines looking?" Captain Kirk asked.

"Captain, yah asked me that yesterday," Scotty answered, in a dull voice.

Kirk looked up at Scotty.

"I did?"

"Aye, sir. I told yah they were running smoothly."

Kirk let out a huge sigh.

"Am I the only one that's growing bored, Scotty?"

"Negative, sir. I think all of us could use a little excitement around here. I'm starting to get sick of reading the same engineering journals over and over again."

Kirk turned to look at Spock.

"Spock, you're the only one here who's not losing their mind. How are you doing it?"

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Captain, losing one's mind is completely incapable of happening. Without the mind, the body would not function and cease to work and live life," the Vulcan answered.

"Yah gonna ask Mr. Spock that question, Captain?" Scotty asked.

"Captain," Uhura called out. "I'm getting a video message from...Earth."

Kirk, Spock, and Scotty raised their eyebrows, and the three of them turned to face the main screen on the bridge.

"Put it through, Mr. Sulu," the captain commanded.

"Aye, sir," Sulu said, and accepted the video message.

The screen turned from stars and dark skies to an old man in an office, with a grim expression to his face. There was a Nazi flag hanging in the background and the man was wearing a Gestapo uniform.

"Captain," Scotty gasped. "It's a Gestapo officer, sir!"

Kirk hushed his Chief Engineer.

"Let's just see what he wants, Scotty," he answered back softly.

"Captain Kirk," the Gestapo officer began. "This is General Harold Mueller. I am leaving you with this message as a signal for help. The Romulan Empire has captured a valuable man to the success of the Allies winning World War II by the name of Colonel Robert Hogan."

"Captain, I've _read_ about him in history classes! He held an entire secret operation right underneath his stalag Kommandant's face!" Scotty gasped.

"He was a very important man in history. One of my role models," the captain said.

"Your assignment is to travel back to Germany, 1944 and help Colonel Hogan's core group, Sergeants James Kinchloe and Andrew Carter, and Corporals Peter Newkirk and Louis LeBeau. If not, the Romulans will murder Colonel Hogan and will alter world history as we know it. As you can see, my office is completely decorated by Nazi flags and portraits of Adolf Hitler. This is the result of Germany winning World War II, completely taking control of Earth. Help us, Enterprise... _please_." General Mueller finished and the video message ended, exposing the dark sky, stars, and planets once again.

Kirk sat there for a brief moment before swiveling in his chair and turning to look at Spock and Scotty.

"Mr. Spock, Mr. Scott, to the briefing room," Kirk ordered.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said.

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock said.

Kirk pushed the button for the intercom on his chair.

"Kirk to sickbay,"

" _McCoy here_ ,"

"Bones, I need you to come to the briefing room on deck four for a special meeting. Top priority."

" _I'll be there in a few minutes, Jim_."

"Good; Kirk out."

The young captain flicked off the switch and followed Spock and Scotty to the turbo lift and went down to deck four for their meeting.

* * *

Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty were all gathered around discussing the video message that was sent by General Mueller, and the mission they had been assigned.

"What do the Romulans want with Colonel Hogan, sir?" Scotty asked.

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, we have to get him safely back to Stalag 13. Lots of innocent lives and the rest of world's history will be in great jeopardy otherwise." Kirk answered, as he started to pace.

Spock pulled up a picture onto the main screen. There was an African-American man, an English corporal, another American with blonde hair, and a little Frenchman standing side by side, all of them smiling with Hogan who was standing in the middle of them.

"The man on the far left is Sergeant James Kinchloe, Colonel Hogan's second in command. He will be most useful in finding the colonel and bringing him back to the safety of the German POW camp he resided in during the period of World War II. The next man is Corporal Peter Newkirk. He was known for his skills in forgery, safe cracking, and pick pocketing. He was also a master of disguises." Spock spoke.

"Certainly sounds like a troublemaker, if you ask me." Dr. McCoy remarked.

"Indeed, Doctor," Spock said. He then continued. "The next man standing to the right of the colonel is Sergeant Andrew Carter. He was the explosives expert and chemist of the operation they ran with London and the underground. And finally the Frenchman, Corporal Louis LeBeau; known for his exceptional cooking skills and talent for sewing uniforms almost identical to the real uniforms possessed by the Germans."

"A nice group of men to have under command," Scotty stated.

"Correct, Mr. Scott. These four men were very loyal and protective of their commanding officer, so any attempt to work collectively as a unit to find and rescue their commander will take a lot of effort to ensure their trust in us," Spock said.

"How do we do that without exposing ourselves, Spock?" McCoy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Logically, Doctor. We will have to transport ourselves down to Earth's surface disguised as German officers," the Vulcan replied.

"One of us should be a prisoner of war being sent to Stalag 13. It could seem suspicious to just drive into camp and start asking to speak with prisoners," Kirk said.

"Unlikely, Captain, but a fair suggestion."

"What do you mean 'unlikely'? Spock, don't you know how sick and demented the Germans were during World War II?" McCoy snapped.

Spock pulled up another picture of a man who was bald and wearing a monocle.

"Doctor, this is Kommandant Wilhelm Klink of Stalag 13. He was known as being weak, had poor assertiveness, a push over, and above all terrified fairly easily, especially from ones of the Russian Front or the Gestapo."

"A weak, fearful German Kommandant?" The country doctor scoffed. " _That's_ a new one."

Kirk gave a small grin, looking at Scotty.

"And I have the perfect candidate to be the prisoner."

Scotty shifted his eyes from Kirk's to Spock's to McCoy's and back at his commanding officer. All three of them were watching and observing him.

"Why are yah all looking at me like that?" Scotty finally asked.

"Scotty," Kirk started. "How would you like to be an RAF Sergeant?"

"Captain! Are yah outta yer mind?! What Mr. Spock says about Kommandant Klink is one thing, actually _witnessing_ him is another!" The Scotsman yelped.

"I promise, Scotty. Nothing bad will happen to you. You'll simply just be our way into camp," Kirk said.

Scotty let out a sigh of surrender.

"Alright, Captain...I'll be an RAF sergeant."

"Excellent," Kirk said. He turned to face Spock and McCoy. "Spock, you'll be a Gestapo sergeant."

"Good; he'll need the helmet for his pointy ears." McCoy spoke, crossing his arms.

"Bones, I'll need you to be a captain," Kirk ordered.

"Why in blazes do _I_ gotta come along?!" The doctor cried.

"We might need a doctor, depending on what condition Colonel Hogan is in when we find him. Besides, Bones; doesn't a little adventure in the 1940s' sound interesting to you?" (1)

McCoy grumbled something under his breath, then sighed.

"Fine, Jim," he said.

"Spock, Scotty, we'll need uniforms and a plane to crash into the ground nearby Stalag 13 once we arrive in the proper time period," Kirk ordered.

"What kinda plane would yah be looking for, Captain? It'll be awfully difficult to generate an airplane with our monitors and beam it down to the surface," Scotty wondered.

"Oh, just make it a simple RAF fighter plane. Should be easy enough on the computers."

"Aye, sir; it'll be done."

"Dr. McCoy, I'll need you to pack as much medical equipment and medicine you might think is necessary to bring along. Again, depending on what condition Colonel Hogan's in when we find him, he might be in need of immediate medical attention."

"I'll get it done, Jim," the doctor responded.

"Alright, gentlemen; you have your duties. Let's get them all settled before I have Sulu take us back in time." Kirk spoke.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said.

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock said.

"Yes, Jim," McCoy said.

The four men stood up and went to their stations to prepare for their upcoming assignment. When Kirk got out into the hall, he pushed a button on one of the communicators on the wall.

"Mr. Sulu, set course towards the sun. We're going back to the 1940s' for a little trip." (2)

* * *

Hogan stirred and moaned. He fluttered his eyes open and felt a sharp pang in his head. He moaned again. After his vision started to set in, he looked around his surroundings to try and figure out where he was. He appeared to be lying down on what felt like a nice bed. He tried sitting up to get a better look at things, when he fell back onto the bed quickly and with a touch of force. He looked down and saw that his wrists and ankles were chained to the metal part of his bed frame.

 _Well, so much for escaping_ , he thought to himself.

It appeared to him that he was in a bedroom. He had no idea where, but it was definitely a bedroom. There was a closet, a dresser, a nightstand beside the bed, and a desk in the room he currently was trapped in. His head snapped to the front when the door opened, and widened his eyes at what he saw. Three men walked in with dark hair, greenish colored skin, and pointy ears. They were wearing robes and clothing that resembled fairly close to the Romans back in Ancient Rome. He gulped and quickly put on an expression of no fear, while on the inside, he was about ready to scream.

The three men held something in their hands that looked like some state of the art, high tech gun, but the lighting was dim. There was basically none of it since the curtains were a deep dark red that let only a speck of light through the room.

"Well, looks like our captive has awakened." The Romulan commander cooed sinisterly.

"Who are you?" Hogan demanded. "And where am I?"

"Doesn't matter where you are. You're here, and no one will ever know where to find you."

"And I ask again who are you? You look nothing like human beings."

"I'm Commander Sarik. These are my men: Lieutenant Commander Talar and Lieutenant Commander Jaron. We are from the Romulan Empire, which is about 200,000,000,000 light years away from Earth," Sarik answered.

"Romulan Empire light years away," Hogan gasped. Were these men crazy, or were these actual aliens from a far away land...or was _he_ just going crazy?

"We were here to assassinate a man, whose future generation would be a great enemy of the Romulan Empire. We were successful in doing so, until one of my other men, Lieutenant Rekar, was killed in a bridge explosion."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"How dare you say such _hnaev_ to me! _Especially_ when you were the cause of it!" (3)

Hogan raised an eyebrow.

"Ha what?" He simply asked.

"It means 'nonsense'." Jaron snarled.

Sarik walked up to Hogan and put a knife towards his throat. The American swallowed a knot, as he felt the blade just barely touch his neck. He looked up at Sarik with puppy dog eyes, hoping it would get him to take away the weapon he held in his hand.

"Why did you kill Rekar?" The Romulan ordered.

"I didn't kill your man," Hogan answered, holding back as much fear as he could.

"Liar! I saw you carrying a detonator and a few sticks of explosives, when you were walking back from somewhere earlier this morning!"

Carter's explosives! _Damn it, Carter!_

Hogan shook his head as much as he could, knowing the knife was still against his neck.

"I didn't do it. I was bringing it back to camp," the American said.

"What camp?" Sarik asked.

Hogan froze and shut his mouth. He could not tell them he was a prisoner of war at Stalag 13. He had to protect his team and his men. And God knows what would happen if these aliens set foot into camp. Klink would have an aneurysm, Burkhalter would be astonished, and Lord knows how Hochstetter would react! (4)

Sarik took the knife away from his neck and softly chuckled.

"Not talking, huh," he said. "Well, men, we'll just leave him here and not feed him. Perhaps the pain of an empty stomach will get him to talk."

Talar and Jaron nodded and followed Sarik out of the room. When they were gone, Hogan sighed with relief and grimaced again at the searing pain he had in his head. He, without a doubt, knew he had a concussion. How serious it was was far from his knowledge. He was no doctor, and Camp Medic, Sergeant Joe Wilson, was back in camp. He groaned again and lay his head gently on the soft pillow he was thankfully given. He felt his stomach starting to ache and rubbed his belly with his right hand. He needed to get out of this predicament. He needed to escape and get back to Stalag 13 to warn his men...but _what_ was he going to do?

* * *

(1) This assignment was given to the Enterprise before the episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever' happened.

(2) Being a fairly young Trekkie, I'm not exactly 100% sure what the sun has to do with it, but in the fourth 'Star Trek' film, the USS Enterprise-A went around the sun fast enough to send them back in time to the 1980s' in order to save humpback whales from extinction. If any other fellow Trekkie can explain it better in the reviews, please do so.

(3) I don't exactly remember the site I got this off from, but all I know is that it was a website where you can translate words into Romulan, Vulcan, Klingon (another space humanoid), and other languages from 'Star Trek'.

(4) The characters of Kommandant Klink, General Burkhalter, and Major Hochstetter will be introduced later on in the story.


	3. Chapter 3: Access To Stalag 13

**Chapter 3: Access To Stalag 13:**

The Enterprise was in orbit around Earth back in 1944. Sulu had the coordinates for the area near Stalag 13 where Spock would send the airplane to crash and transport Scotty down soon afterwards with it. Being such a giant object to beam down, a model sized plane would be beamed from the ship and turn into normal size once sent down to the planet's surface.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, all in their Gestapo uniforms, stood at the control panel and had just beamed down the plane. Scotty, wearing his RAF sergeant uniform, got up on the transporter and gulped.

"Don't worry, Scotty; we'll be down shortly," Kirk reassured him.

"Aye, sir," the Scotsman answered, meek. No matter what his commander told him, he was still shaking in his boots about being brought to a POW camp in the middle of Germany. The idea of facing the Luftwaffe and Gestapo officers terrified him more than any alien life form he had ever come across in his Starfleet career.

"Spock, energize," Kirk ordered.

The Vulcan moved the levers, flicked the switches, and soon enough had Scotty safely down on the planet's surface.

The captain's communicator went off and answered it.

"Kirk here," he said.

" _Scott here, Captain. Safely down by the crashed plane, sir_ ," Scotty reported.

"Excellent, Scotty; stay hidden until we get there. Kirk out."

Kirk put his communicator back in his hidden pocket on the inside of his Gestapo jacket with his phaser, and gestured both Spock and McCoy to the transporter pad. Kirk quickly flicked the switches, pulled the levers, and hurried to the transporter pad. Soon enough, they dematerialized and were on the planet's surface within a few seconds. The three of them found the Gestapo car that Scotty had generated and beamed down on the side of the road. With Kirk driving, the three made their way off to the crash site to pick up the engineering officer.

* * *

"Roll call! Out, out, out, out, out, OUT! The Kommandant is waiting!" Sergeant of the Guard, Schultz, bellowed. He was a big, fluffy man, but a big teddy bear more than a hardcore military soldier. He was well aware of Hogan and his men's 'monkey business' as he referred it to, but always looked the other way. He did not approve of Hitler and they way Germans treated other nations and groups of people, and he never wanted any trouble from his commanding officer, Kommandant Klink, either.

Kinch, Newkirk, Carter, LeBeau, and the rest of the men filed out for morning roll call into the cool morning breeze of mid March. All of Hogan's men turned to look at one another with worry filled faces.

"I sure hope _mon Colonel's_ alright." LeBeau whimpered.

"I hope so, too. I'm scared for him...I miss him," Carter sadly said.

Kinch patted the young man's shoulder gently.

"Don't worry, Carter. We'll find Colonel Hogan and bring him home safe and healthy," The radio man spoke.

Schultz got to Newkirk and looked to find Hogan's spot empty.

"Corporal Newkirk," Schultz started to say. He gulped. "Where is Colonel Hogan?"

Newkirk shivered.

"He's gone, Schultzie," he quivered. "Someone kidnapped him during the night."

" _Kidnapped_!"

"The only thing we found in his room was a ransom note for his return."

"Oh, Kommandant Klink will be _furious_ with me, when I tell him..." Schultz never got to finish his sentence.

"Schultz! Reeeeeeepooooooooort!" Klink bellowed.

The big guard swallowed a knot and turned around to salute the thin, bald man. The kommandant returned the same gesture.

" _Herr Kommandant_...Colonel Hogan is missing!" Schultz exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Klink shouted.

"He was kidnapped sometime in the night, Kommandant," LeBeau said sadly.

"We've gotta find him, Kommandant!" Carter pleaded.

"How did someone sneak in and kidnap Hogan? I had patrols all over this camp last night!" Klink demanded.

"We don't know, sir, but all they left in the colonel's room was this ransom note," Kinch, holding up a folded sheet of paper, replied.

Klink walked over to Kinch and snatched it out of his hands. The German kommandant opened the note up, read it, and nearly died. He started to shake and fear began to overtake his body.

"Pay 7000 German marks within the next 72 hours, or Colonel Hogan dies," he read out loud.

"Kommandant, we must _do_ something!" Schultz cried.

Klink began to smile with arrogance.

"Alright, I get it. You men want me to believe a kidnapping happened, when in actuality, this is another one of Colonel Hogan's schemes to escape. Well, I'm not buying it! Where is he really?"

"Kommandant, help! Colonel Hogan could be dying for all we know!" Carter begged.

"We'll go looking for him _ourselves_ , if you don't believe us," Newkirk added.

All fourteen men from barracks two started yelling and rambling with anger and fear. If Klink refused to make efforts to help find their commanding officer, then they were willing to all jump the fence and search for him on their own. They would not rest until Hogan was found and brought home safe and sound.

"Silence!" Klink ordered. An eerie feeling settled in with the colonel suddenly. He felt as if something were wrong... _awful_ wrong. Why would his prisoners be so rowdy and terrified if this was an escape attempt. He knew very well just how protective the men were of Hogan and would go as far as dying to make sure their Senior POW was alright. He started to tremble, his eyes dilating as big as saucers.

"Corporal Newkirk, please tell me this is just a little prank? That Colonel Hogan is just hiding inside and will make his way out shortly?"

"I wouldn't joke about the Gov'nor being kidnapped and possibly being beaten to death right as we speak," the British corporal replied.

"Kommandant, _please_ , help us find him!" LeBeau plead.

Klink snapped his head to his sergeant of the guard, his face now both serious and terrified.

"Schultz, dismiss the men and do a headcount for the rest of the barracks! I have to call Major Hochstetter, and have him out here right away, along with General Burkhalter!"

As Klink was about to leave, they all heard a plane overhead. They heard it starting to falling vertically in the air and head towards the ground a few miles away from camp. All of them watched, as the plane collided with the ground and a faint explosion was heard.

"Great; just what I needed. Another _prisoner_ to worry about. I already have one that's missing to stress over!" Klink groaned.

He hurried off, shortly followed by Schultz.

Kinch was soon surrounded by his three best friends.

"What now, Kinch?" LeBeau asked.

"For now, let's just see what Major Hochstetter and Burkhalter have to offer," Kinch answered.

"And just sit here and do nothing?! Kinch, whoever has the Gov'nor could be _killing_ him right now!" Newkirk exclaimed.

"Colonel Hogan's gonna be just fine. He's a smart man; he'll find a way to have his captors back off for a while to give us time to find him," Kinch said.

"I just hope he's alright," Carter wallowed in misery.

"Me too, Carter...me too," was all Kinch said.

The four of them then heard a car with Gestapo flags on them pull up besides the Kommandantur. A man with blonde hair entered out of the driver's seat. A Gestapo sergeant and captain made their way out of the car and joined the man. They opened the back seat behind the passenger side and pulled out a man dressed in an RAF sergeant uniform handcuffed and headed in towards Klink's office.

"Blimey, Kinch! The Krauts have one of me mates!" Newkirk exclaimed.

"Guys, a little coffee break sound like a good idea?" Kinch asked.

" _Oui_ ," LeBeau said.

The four of them hurried into the barracks, and entered Hogan's room to listen in on the conversation.

* * *

"Yes, General Burkhalter, I will see you soon...huh...oh yeah, _Heil Hitler_." Klink hung up the phone, rubbed his temples, then looked up at the fluffy sergeant before him. "Schultz, how did this happen? Where could Colonel Hogan have been taken off to...and _how_ did someone manage to sneak into camp during the middle of the night and kidnap him successfully?"

As Schultz was about to answer, there was a knock on the door.

"What?" Klink called out.

The door opened, and Klink's pretty secretary, Fraulein Hilda, entered the office. She was short, had light blonde hair in two braids on each side of her head, and friendly blue eyes. She was wearing black flats, a black shirt, and a light purple sweater on.

" _Herr Kommandant_ , the Gestapo is here to see you," she said.

Klink started to shiver.

"The Gestapo?"

" _Jawohl, Herr Kommandant_ ,"

"Send them in, Fraulein Hilda. Why keep our guests waiting?"

Hilda nodded and walked out of the office. She was replaced by Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty. Klink shot from his desk chair quivering and saluted the three Gestapo men before him. It took all of Kirk's strength to not start laughing at how ridiculous the German was.

"Gentlemen, how can I be of service to you this fine morning?" Klink asked, smiling in his usual goofy way.

"Kommandant Klink, I am Major Kirchner. This is Sergeant Spockenmeyer and Doctor and Captain Ludwig Meckler."

"Major. Sergeant. Doctor." Klink greeted each with a nod. He then turned to Scotty, who was shaking slightly. Even with his three best friends by his side and years of experience, he was still terrified of the German Kommandant in front of him. He had read many books over the years on World War II and the Nazis. It was enough to make even the toughest man quake. However, his fear was beginning to subside, though, seeing how shook up Klink was behaving. "And who is that?"

"We found him a few miles east from here. We knew that Stalag 13 is known for its perfect no escape record and thought a troublemaker like him would get some common sense knocked into him by bringing him here." Kirk shoved Scotty in the front and pushed him gently down in the chair in front of Klink, though made it appear to look rougher than it actually was.

The German colonel beamed at the mention of his no escape record.

"You are absolutely right, Major Kirchner! This is the toughest POW camp Germany has ever seen!" Klink gloated. He walked in front of his desk and put on his tough face, which wasn't all that menacing. He glared down at the RAF sergeant sitting before him and started interrogating him. "Alright; who are you?"

Scotty swallowed and looked helplessly into Klink's eyes. He would not answer, keeping his act believable.

"You can either answer Kommandant Klink's questions, or you can answer to _my_ questions. Your choice, Sergeant," Kirk hissed.

Scotty licked his lips and nodded at Kirk .

"I'm Sergeant Montgomery Scott. Serial number SE19754T," he quivered.

Klink stared at him hard.

"I've never heard of such a serial number," he said.

Scotty did not answer. He simply looked up into the kommandant's eyes, and briefly then back down at the floor.

"Where is your home base?" Klink asked.

The engineering officer remained quiet.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Sergeant." Klink warned.

"Montgomery Scott. Sergeant. Serial number SE19754T." Scotty repeated.

"You've already told me that information!"

Scotty did not reply.

There was a sudden knock on Klink's door. Without time to permit to enter, the doors slam shut, and Major Wolfgang Hochstetter walked in. He seemed to be in one of his more 'pleasant' moods. His face was not as red, his eyes not peering into the kommandant's soul, and had a more calm feeling to him. He was a short man, had jet black hair with some gray, and piercing bright brown eyes. He had the aura of having a short temper and less than friendly of a personality.

Klink stiffened and saluted the major immediately, his fear grasping him quickly.

"Major Hochstetter, welcome to Stalag 13. Can I offer you a drink, Major?"

"No, that will not be necessary, Klink. I want to know why you had me…" Hochstetter paused, as he noticed the four Starfleet officers in front of him. " _Wer sie sind_?"

"Uh, Major Hochstetter, this is Major Kirchner, Sergeant Spockenmeyer, and Captain Meckler who is also a doctor. They brought in an RAF sergeant, who won't tell me anything other than his name, rank, and serial number."

Scotty quickly stole a look at the Gestapo major and looked back to the floor.

Hochstetter looked at Kirk for a brief moment, then nodded and held out his hand to shake it.

"Major, nice to meet a fellow Gestapo officer," Hochstetter replied pleasantly.

"Same to you, Major," Kirk said.

"Schultz, take Sergeant Scott to barracks two. I have no other use for him," Klink ordered.

"J _awohl, Herr Kommandant_."

"I will take him, Kommandant. Perhaps I can get this man to squeal on the way there," Kirk said, with bitterness.

Refusing to argue with the Gestapo, Klink quickly nodded.

"Absolutely, Major Kirchner. I couldn't think of a better idea." The colonel trembled.

Kirk took Scotty's arms and took him out of the office, with Spock and McCoy following him. Once they were gone, Klink sat back down in his desk, and Hochstetter turned to him.

"Klink, what's the meaning of me being called out here?" The major asked, a little annoyed.

"Uh, Major…" Klink paused. How the heck would Hochstetter react to Hogan being missing, let alone kidnapped? The possibilities he kept thinking of scared him tremendously. He had to let Hochstetter know gently. He could have an emotional outbreak of any sorts. "Major Hochstetter, I sadly must report a missing prisoner."

"Which prisoner do you speak of, Klink?"

Klink swallowed a knot down and stared at the short man, blankly for a while. The hard part had now come.

"It's...it's...the person...it's...Colonel Hogan, Major Hochstetter." He whimpered.

"WHAT?!" Hochstetter yelled.

"In my defense, Major Hochstetter, I have no idea who kidnapped him. I doubled the security last night and twice the patrols walking around the entire camp."

"You mean to say someone has kidnapped the most dangerous man in all of Germany?!"

"...it would appear to look that way, Major."

"KLINK!"

"The only information I have for you momentarily, Major Hochstetter, is this ransom note Sergeant Kinchloe gave me at roll call."

Klink handed Hochstetter the note and had him read it.

"Pay 7000 marks or Colonel Hogan is murdered?! This is just another scheme of Hogan's to get out of camp...possibly for a sabotage assignment?" The major growled.

Klink shivered under Hochstetter's dark brown eyes. The short man always knew how to make him rattle.

"I wish it were an escape, Major, but it is true. Somehow someone managed to sneak in through the night, kidnapped Colonel Hogan, and made their way back out of camp undetected. I thought the same at first, until the prisoners nearly started a riot, _demanding_ Hogan be found."

"Klink?!" Hochstetter gnarled, shaking his head in a fist.

"What are we going to do, Major Hochstetter?"

" _You_ will do absolutely nothing, Klink! When General Burkhalter gets here, I will ask _him_ what to do!"

Klink nodded shaking in his boots.

"Yes, Major Hochstetter," Klink quivered.

"BAH!"

Hochstetter stomped out of Klink's office and slammed the door, leaving the poor colonel to just be with his thoughts.

 _Hogan_ , Klink thought. _Where are you_?!


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontations and New Faces

**Chapter 4: Confrontations and New Faces:**

Kinch, Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau sat at the table, taking sips of their coffee. While the rest of the prisoners were outside, the four men tried acting casual, knowing that a new prisoner was coming in shortly. Soon enough, the door opened, and Scotty was shoved in by Kirk, with Spock and McCoy following. After closing the door, Kirk stopped his act and turned to look at the engineer.

"You alright, Scotty? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

"No, sir; just glad to be outta that office."

"Wait a minute," Kinch said, rising to his feet. "You're not really with the Gestapo."

"It is quite prominent, Sergeant," Spock replied.

"Alright, what gives? Who are you and what do yah want?" Newkirk growled.

"Yer a Cockney, lad!" Scotty gasped.

"And apparently you're Scottish." The Englishman put out his hand and smiled. "Peter Newkirk, how are yah?"

"Montgomery Scott, but feel free to call me Scotty."

"So...if you guys aren't with the Gestapo...who are you?" Carter asked, confused.

"I am Captain James Kirk of the USS Vulcan. This is my second in command, Commander Spock, my Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and my Chief Engineering Officer and third in command, Scotty," Kirk greeted.

"What kinda name is Spock?" LeBeau exclaimed.

"He's...Chinese," Kirk retorted.

Spock simply raised an eyebrow.

"You're from the Navy?" Kinch asked.

"Sure," Kirk said, hoping underneath they were buying it.

The four were still slightly suspicious of the four in front of them. Why was the Navy out in the middle of Germany, and why were they disguised as Gestapo?

"If you're from the Navy, why are you all disguised as Gestapo?" LeBeau sneered. He was not about to let a couple of German spies slip under him. Especially when Hogan was out there somewhere, and they needed to find him before he was hurt, starved, or worse...killed.

"We're from Naval Intelligence. Our superiors sent us here to Germany to retrieve a man by the name of Colonel Robert Hogan. He is an important person to the States and possibly the key to the Allies winning the war." Kirk answered.

"You know the colonel?!" Carter gasped.

"You could say he's my role model," the captain said.

"Well, we're completely at a loss at to where he is. He never came back last night from," Carter was stopped, when Newkirk elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow!"

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Fascinating," he simply said.

"What he means to say is you probably know of his kidnapping then," Kinch said, crossing his arms.

"We were never informed of him being kidnapped. We were just told he had gone missing," Kirk replied.

"I have a question. Why do yah have a bleedin' doctor with you?" Newkirk asked incredulously.

"I'm here in case we find your commanding officer in, shall I say, critical conditions," McCoy answered.

"You think the Gov'nor could be hurt?"

"It's a possibility, but not a fact."

"We've gotta find him, Kinch! He could be hurt!" Carter exclaimed

"I'm not yet convinced," the leading sergeant said. "How do we know you aren't scamming us into a trap?"

"You have my word as a commanding officer. Besides, would I really be interested in finding my role model if I didn't care for his well being?" Kirk responded.

Kinch pulled LeBeau, Carter, and Newkirk into a small circle to reconvene with one another about possibly joining up with these strange men.

"What do you think, Kinch?" Carter asked.

"I for one trust me fellow mate, Scotty. We Brits stick together in times like these." Newkirk remarked softly.

"If they can find _mon Colonel_ , I'm willing to do so," LeBeau said.

Kinch looked over at the four mysterious men again and sighed.

"Alright...we'll try it. But we play it carefully. The colonel would kill us if we exposed the operation to a couple of Krauts," he answered.

"Gotcha, buddy," Carter said.

"Sounds like a plan, mate," Newkirk said.

The four of them walked back over to Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty.

"Alright; we'll let you guys help us," Kinch answered for all of them.

Kirk smiled and nodded.

"Excellent," he said. "Now, when was the last time you heard from Colonel Hogan?"

"Last night. Around...midnight, I think." Carter replied.

"Did he say where he was headed?" Scotty asked.

"We had a...meeting the night before. Colonel Hogan had to go back last night to finish up." Kinch covered up the truth.

Kirk cleared his throat quickly, hesitant to speak at first, but finally found enough courage to do so. The four would be difficult to earn their trust. He could already sense so.

"We know about your…" he looked around to make sure no one else was listening in. "Business."

"Our business," Newkirk said, in a skeptical tone.

"Your operation...my superiors received the information from London and send it to us before we headed out here late last night."

Kinch turned to Carter and gestured towards the door.

"Carter, be on the lookout for any unwanted visitors." He ordered.

"Got it, Kinch," the young man said, and hurried to his post.

"So...you know what we do around here?" LeBeau asked, slightly worried.

"Don't worry there, Corporal. We won't tell another soul." McCoy spoke, smiling.

"Call me LeBeau...or Louis. Whichever one you prefer, Monsieur Doctor."

"I'm Carter."

"I'm Sergeant James Kinchloe, or Kinch as everyone calls me. I'm currently the one in charge until we find Colonel Hogan."

"So, where was the colonel _really_ headed last night?" Kirk asked.

"We had an assignment from London to blow up a ball bearing plant the night before. _Andrew_ here forgot his detonator and dynamite sticks, so the Gov'nor had to go back last night and bring 'em back," Newkirk answered, glaring at his best friend.

"I said I was sorry, alright?! Don't I get a break? I feel guilty enough as it is for Colonel Hogan getting kidnapped." Carter spoke sadly.

"Don't worry, lad. We'll find Colonel Hogan and bring him home safe and sound," Scotty said, putting a hand on Carter's shoulder.

The young sergeant nodded slightly, his head still hanging in shame.

"We believe, Sergeant Kinchloe, that Colonel Hogan is being held by enemies of ours," Spock said.

"Who?" LeBeau asked.

"The Italians," Kirk said.

"The _Italians_!" All four of Hogan's men cried.

"Correct, gentlemen," Spock said, flat.

"What do the Italians want with the colonel?!" LeBeau asked, anxious.

"We don't know that information, but from what we've heard, it sounds like they believe Colonel Hogan has killed one of their men and want revenge on him for doing so," McCoy answered.

"Colonel Hogan wouldn't kill _anybody_ , though. Only in self defense. He's not cruel blooded like some people are," Carter said.

"I know he isn't, Sergeant Carter. I admire his tactics and thought processing. He values lives before punishment," Kirk answered.

" _Oui_. That certainly is _mon Colonel_ ," LeBeau sadly spoke.

"Boy," Carter said, worried. "I sure hope he's alright."

"I can assure you, Sergeant, that we will find Colonel Hogan and bring him back to Stalag 13 before any harm comes his way," Spock said.

"I hope you're right, _mon ami_ ," LeBeau said, crossing his arms.

"Just a question, Commander Spock," Carter started. "How come you don't smile?"

"Blimey, Andrew," Newkirk said, his eyes looking up to the heavens.

With a puzzled expression, Spock looked at the young sergeant.

"Sergeant Carter, I do not find it logical to smile during a situation such as this one. Happiness is an illogical emotion for me to express in these circumstances."

McCoy turned to Spock and glared at him.

Kirk was silent briefly before forcing himself to laugh a little.

"He comes from a strict family background," he answered.

"Oh," the young sergeant said.

"Yah said he was retrieving left behind equipment for yah, lad?" Scotty asked, facing Newkirk.

"Yeah; he said he would come back in about an hour or so, but never did," The Englishman replied, sighing.

"If he was kidnapped by Italians, he could be back in Italy for all we know," LeBeau quivered.

"I do not assume so, Corporal LeBeau. The Italians are holding Colonel Hogan because of what they assume he killed one of their men. They would not take him out of Germany for the reason being one of their men were killed in the area. Instead, they are hiding out somewhere in the corresponding areas. As to which one it may be, I can not elucidate," Spock explained.

Carter simply stared at the Vulcan, not comprehending what he said.

"What did you say, sir?" He asked.

"We don't know where he is, but we know he's around here somewhere," McCoy clarified for the young man. He could understand the frustration of not understanding Spock quite a bit of the time.

"Oh," Carter answered.

"Well, Mr. Kinchloe, where do you want us to start?" Kirk asked.

"First off, you guys should leave camp. Drive into the woods, hide the car, and enter through the fake tree stump that leads to our tunnels underground. There's three tree stumps near the fence of the camp. The one in the middle is the entrance." Kinch stated.

"A tree stump," McCoy said, indecisive.

"It sounds weird, but it's true, mate," Newkirk answered.

Kirk nodded.

"We'll see you four in a while then." He turned to look at Scotty. "You gonna be alright here for a little while by yourself, Scotty?"

"Oh yeah, Captain. Just as long as that short little man doesn't come in here screaming at us," Scotty answered.

"Let me guess: Hochstetter," Kinch said, fighting back a grin.

"Aye, sir. For a short little lad, he sure is a frightening one."

Kinch smirked and patted Scotty's shoulder.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy walked out of the barracks, got into their car, and drove out of Stalag 13, headed towards the woods.


	5. Chapter 5: More Interrogations

**Chapter 5: More Interrogations:**

The next time Hogan woke up, his head was pounding more than before. He groaned softly and tried moving into a sitting position, forgetting he was chained down. It made him nauseous and close to getting sick. He decided it would be best to just remain lying there in order for him to bear his concussion. His belly ached more than before. He had gone now without two meals. He wondered how much longer he could go without food or water in the condition he currently was in.

He was about to fall back to sleep, when the door to his room opened. Sarik, Talar, and Jaron entered in, with no expression on any of their faces.

Hogan raised an eyebrow and looked at all three of them incredulously.

"You ready to talk _now_ , Colonel?" Sarik growled.

"I told you already I didn't kill your man," Hogan croaked. It hurt his head to talk.

"I don't believe you wish to go without another meal, Colonel, let alone a drink of water," Sarik hissed.

Hogan rubbed his aching belly, remembering just how hungry he truly was. He had been hoping to forget about food, but now that was just a dream. How he wished to have some of LeBeau's cooking at that moment. What he really wanted was water. His throat was becoming dry, and his eyes were beginning to burn. Dehydration had begun its process.

"Listen, I don't know _who_ killed your man, but I promise you it wasn't me," Hogan said.

"That's not the right answer!" Sarik remarked.

"Well, it's the only answer I've got."

Talar pulled out his phaser and pointed it at Hogan.

"You'll tell Commander Sarik what he wants to hear, or you'll hear the fire of this phaser!" Talar snarled.

"I've told you about seventy times, now. I don't know who killed your man. I was not coming back from a sabotage mission. And if I were, you would have never caught me wandering around like you did," Hogan replied.

"I think you're lying!" Jaron barked.

"What else do you want from me?" The colonel demanded. "I've told you everything I know! I was out in the woods collecting garbage for a work detail assignment!"

"Where do you reside, Colonel? Perhaps the people _there_ can give us an answer." Jaron asked, more like ordered.

Hogan did not answer. He refused to let these people know where his men were. He had to protect them in any way he could. He had to protect Schultz, Klink, the operation; so many things lay on his shoulders at that moment. He simply gawked at the three before him and remained silent.

"I'll ask you one last time. Where-do-you-reside?!" Jaron hissed.

Hogan simply raised his eyes at the Romulan.

"I refuse to tell you that information," he warned. He grimaced afterwards. It hurt his head to get angry and defensive.

Jaron walked over slowly, then smashed his fist on top of Hogan's head. He cried out in pain, then fell to the bed unconscious.

"He's a stubborn one, sir." Talar grumbled.

"He certainly is, but we will find a way to make him crack." Sarik spoke firmly.

Jaron walked over and felt Hogan's head, noticing the colonel was starting to sweat.

"He's growing a fever, Commander. He might have brain damage," Jaron reported.

"Good. It'll teach him to not lie to us any further," Sarik said.

"What if he really didn't kill Rekar, though?" Talar asked, curious.

Sarik turned to look at the still form on the bed and snarled.

"We'll kill him," was all he said.

* * *

"7000 German marks!" General Albert Burkhalter exclaimed. He had finished reading the ransom note that Kinch had handed to Klink at morning roll call. He had arrived about 15 minutes after Hochstetter had.

"It's either that, or they'll kill Hogan," Klink reported in a shaky voice.

"Colonel Hogan is _my_ problem; not anyone else's. If these people kill him, I will make arrangements to have them shot!" Hochstetter spat.

Ignoring the short Gestapo major, Burkhalter asked the kommandant his next question.

"Klink, do you have any ideas on who might have kidnapped Hogan?"

"I have no idea, _Herr General_. It happened sometime during the night."

"Did the suspect leave anything behind that look suspicious?" Hochstetter questioned angrily.

"Not that any of my guards found," Klink replied.

"Very peculiar, Klink," Burkhalter stated, in a flat voice. "How does one sneak into a prisoner of war camp during the middle of the night, sneak into a barracks, and kidnap a Senior POW Officer successfully?"

"That's beyond my knowledge, _Herr General_."

"Klink, the _alphabet_ is far from your knowledge!" Hochstetter snarled.

Klink nodded fearfully.

"Yes, Major Hochstetter. You're absolutely right." He quivered.

"Major, yelling at Klink will not solve this mystery nor will it bring Hogan back to Stalag 13 anytime sooner," Burkhalter spat. He was growing ornery due to Hochstetter's rash behavior regarding the situation.

"Someone has _my_ prisoner, and I won't stop searching until he is found!" Hochstetter growled.

"May I remind you, Major, that Colonel Hogan is property of the _Luftwaffe_ ; not the Gestapo!" Burkhalter snapped.

"As of now, I have seven patrol groups searching the surrounding areas for any clues that will lead us to Hogan and his captors."

"General Burkhalter, what do we do in the meanwhile?" Klink trembled.

"The only thing we _can_ do, Klink: sit here and wait for news."

"Shouldn't we send out any types of search parties ourselves?"

"If you feel the necessity of doing so, Klink, then proceed."

"Yes, General Burkhalter." The kommandant turned his head towards his office door. "Schultz!"

The big guard waddled in.

"Yes, _Herr Kommandant_?"

"Order six patrol groups to search the surrounding areas of Stalag 13. I am determined to find Hogan and bring him back here in fine condition," Klink ordered.

" _Jawohl, Herr Kommandant_!"

Schultz saluted his commanding officer, then left.

Klink moaned and sat down in his desk chair.

"I hope one of mine, or one of Major Hochstetter's men, is successful in finding anything that might lead us to Hogan...before bad things happen."

"The Gestapo does not stop searching until they have found what it is they are looking for," Hochstetter snarled.

"Until then, Major, I advise you to have a seat," Burkhalter said. "It could be awhile before _any_ of us hear anything."


	6. Chapter 6: And So The Search Begins

**Chapter 6: And So The Search Begins:**

Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy met Kinch, Newkirk, Carter, LeBeau, and Scotty in the radio tunnel to start planning on how they were going to track down Hogan and bring him back to camp.

"Alright," Kinch said. "So far, we know that Colonel Hogan left to retrieve equipment from a previous mission late last night, never came back to camp, and is possibly being held by Italians somewhere in the nearby area."

"Don't forget that both Klink and Hochstetter have patrols out looking for him. If we plan on sneaking out of camp tonight to look for him ourselves, we'll have to be twice as careful to make sure we're not caught," Newkirk chimed in.

"Where could he be, though? Even in the nearby area, he could be _anywhere_!" Carter pointed out.

"André's right, _mes amis. Mon Colonel_ could be anywhere. And on top of that, we don't even know anything about his kidnappers other than the assumption of them being Italians," LeBeau continued.

"I think Mr. Spock could find more answers for us, couldn't you, Spock," Kirk said, turning to his second in command.

"It is a possibility, Captain," he replied coolly.

"If his captors _are_ causing him harm…" Scotty gulped a knot down. He sure hoped the man was not being tortured. He had read about Hogan and admired him and his work. He thought he was a good man and a well respected figure in the United States Air Force. "How long do yah think he can hold out until we find him?"

"Colonel Hogan's a strong individual. It'll take some serious abuse for him to crack," Kinch answered, crossing his arms.

"Where was he headed last night?" Kirk asked.

"To the remains of a bridge not too far from here. About a thirty minute trip by foot."

"Perhaps taking the route he took last night would help us find some clues to where he went off to," McCoy suggested.

"You think so?" Carter asked.

McCoy gave a friendly smile.

"I do," he said.

The young man gave a small grin and nodded.

"So," Newkirk said. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight at 2200 hours," Kinch said. He turned to Kirk and his men. "Care to join us?"

"We couldn't be more pleased," Kirk replied, smiling.

"Newkirk, you'll go with Kirk as one group."

"Understood, Sergeant Kinchloe," the Starfleet captain said.

Kinch turned to Spock.

"Mr. Spock, you'll take Carter and LeBeau with you as another group."

Spock nodded.

"Acknowledged, Sergeant." Spock answered.

"Dr. McCoy, Scotty, you'll come with me as the last group."

"Aye, lad," Scotty said.

"Whatever you say, Sergeant," McCoy added.

"Captain Kirk," Carter said meekly.

The young Starfleet captain turned to look at the young sergeant.

"Yes," he said.

Carter swallowed a knot.

"You think Colonel Hogan's okay?"

Kirk smiled and put a hand gently on the sergeant's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Carter. Colonel Hogan's gonna be just fine," he answered, in a friendly manner.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. If he happens to be in need of medical attention, we've got the best doctor of the bunch right here with us."

"Wow! Really?"

McCoy chuckled, while blushing.

"Well, I don't mean to brag or anything, but…" McCoy paused, shrugging a shoulder of his.

Carter gave a small smile, and Kirk gently patted the young man's shoulder.

"Alright, men," Kirk said. "Let's go find us a colonel."

* * *

Night soon came, and the four Starfleet officers and POWs all snuck out of camp successfully. They stopped at a pine tree a couple meters from the tree stump leading to the tunnels, when Kinch turned around to face all of them.

"Alright. Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and I are gonna head out west. Louis, you, Carter, and Spock search in the south area. Captain, take Newkirk and search the east," Kinch ordered.

"Yes, Kinch." A chorus sang out.

"We'll all meet back here in two hours. Good luck, everyone."

Spock took Carter and LeBeau off in one direction, and Kirk and Newkirk in another. It left Kinch, McCoy, and Scotty to themselves. Both men looked at one another, then to Kinch. The radio man nodded and gestured for the two of them to follow him.

They headed off west, searching for anything that could possibly help them find Hogan and where he was.

"So," Scotty started. "How long have yah been at Stalag 13?"

"Oh, about two years now," Kinch answered.

"I still can't believe none of yah try to escape from the place. I mean, haven't yah ever wanted to go home to yer family in the States, lad?"

"We all do once and awhile, but we all have a job to do here in Germany. We help lots of people get out of this country and assist the Allies in making the war harder for the Krauts to win. Besides, the colonel makes it seem like it isn't even a prison camp."

"He's a good man with a big heart," McCoy said, smiling.

"The biggest heart a man can have. He's the greatest commanding officer and person there could be," Kinch spoke, smiling back.

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Scotty asked.

"One back in Cleveland. Her name's Maggie."

"Cleveland, huh? I have a cousin who lives in Cleveland." McCoy remarked, smiling.

"He wants to ask her to marry him when the war's over," Kinch continued.

"Aw, she must be some special lady to him, then." Scotty beamed.

The sergeant smiled and nodded.

"She is. You can always tell, when she sends a letter to him."

"We've gotta find that man. He's gotta lady waiting for him to come home to her."

"Don't worry, Scotty. The colonel's a strong man. He'll hold out, till we find him."

The engineer gave a faint smile and nodded.

The three of them continued, when McCoy caught his foot on a rock, making him bend his right foot back farther than allowed. He cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

Both Kinch and Scotty turned around and gasped.

"Dr. McCoy!" Scotty cried softly.

The two men hurried to McCoy's side and knelt down besides him.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Kinch asked.

McCoy moaned and tried moving, but fell back down.

"Ah! Oh, I think I did something to my foot." The old doctor groaned.

The three of them then heard voices yelling out to one another in German, and Kinch gulped.

"Oh no," the sergeant said softly.

"What?" Scotty asked, just as quietly.

"Gestapo...they've heard us."

* * *

Spock, Carter, and LeBeau were searching through brush and bushes for anything that might be hidden underneath them.

"You find anything, Louis?" Carter asked, off in a distance.

" _Non_. All I've found is a bunch of pine cones," LeBeau replied sadly.

"Oh," Carter said, depressed.

"And a spider the size of the Eiffel Tower!"

Carter heard a couple of thuds, before he spoke again.

"Don't worry, _mon ami_. I got him!"

Spock turned to look in the little Frenchman's direction and raised his eyebrow. He found these humans quite illogical and irrational. Almost as much as McCoy. He could not think of that right now, though. He had an assignment to fulfill and was determined to accomplish it. There was a man, a commanding officer that needed to return home safely. He had a loyal crew and even more so, loving friends who were worried and scared for him. Logically, Spock put those thoughts aside and continued looking for possible clues that would lead to Hogan and/or the Romulans.

"What about you, Mr. Spock? Did you find anything?" Carter asked.

"Negative, Sergeant Carter. Colonel Hogan's captors certainly made a well thought out plan before executing it. Still, I would find it being we're dealing with irrational and illogical thinking beings, I am more than certain that we will eventually discover a flaw to their plan," Spock replied.

"Boy, you sure do talk about logic a lot."

The Vulcan gave a puzzled look.

"It is the only way of life, Sergeant," he spoke calmly.

"Have you noticed you don't really speak with any feeling in your voice, Monsieur Spock?" LeBeau questioned, crossing his arms.

"I do not speak with emotion, Corporal LeBeau. I only speak from logical thinking and careful analysis," Spock replied.

Carter and LeBeau turned to look at one another, then back at the tall man.

"Okay, Mr. Spock," the young sergeant simply answered.

"Whatever you say, Monsieur Spock." LeBeau added.

Spock nodded and went back to searching for more clues, leaving both Carter and LeBeau by themselves.

"Is it just me, Louis, or does something seem a bit off to you about Mr. Spock?" Carter asked softly.

"No, I see it, too, _mon ami_." The corporal shook his head. "Something's off with Monsieur Spock, and I'm determined to figure out what's going on regarding it."

"Me, too."

"We can worry about that later, though. We have the colonel to think about right now."

A weary Carter sighed.

"You think he's alright, Louis?"

LeBeau gave a sigh in response.

"I hope so, _mon ami_."

The young man let out a breath of air and nodded.

LeBeau scanned the area a little and noticed something off a few feet in front of them.

"Hey. What's that?" He questioned, curious.

"What's what, Louis?" Carter asked.

"That over there," the Frenchman answered, pointing off in the distance.

Carter squinted his eyes and now saw it, too.

"Gee, Louis. I don't know," he said.

"Follow me." LeBeau ordered.

"What about Mr. Spock?"

"We'll come back. Besides, we're still in seeing and hearing range."

"True."

The two of them left Spock to what he was investigating, and went off on their own to see what it was that was off in the distance.

* * *

Kirk and Newkirk were searching the area they had been assigned to. The captain looked off into a few trees, finding nothing too interesting to him.

"Anything, mate?" Newkirk asked.

"Huh?" Kirk replied.

"You find anything that might lead us to the Gov'nor?"

"Oh," the young captain sighed. "I've found absolutely nothing. Those Italians have done a pretty good job at hiding their trail."

"Captain, we gotta find him. I can't stand not knowing how the Gov'nor's doing. He could be dying for all we know!"

"I know, I know, Newkirk. I'm going to do everything I can to find him. Hopefully, the other guys are having better luck than us."

"I sure hope you're right."

The two of them suddenly heard a rustle nearby. Newkirk and Kirk huddled closer to one another, both pulling out their own weapon. Newkirk's being a pistol and Kirk 's being his phaser.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Newkirk cried softly.

"I don't know, but keep your eyes and ears open for any sudden movements," Kirk ordered calmly. "Follow me."

"Right, sir."

The two of them continued walking slowly, and their sensory radars on an all time high. It was not long before a Gestapo officer, a captain, jumped out from the side of them.

"You two!" He hollered. "Where did you come from?!"

Kirk and Newkirk turned around and pointed their weapons at the young man.

"Where's your commanding officer?" Kirk ordered.

"I'd ask you the same question! And why is there an Englander with you with his own weapon?"

"He's an undercover agent sent from Berlin."

"I don't believe you. Where are your papers?"

Kirk turned to look at Newkirk.

"Close your eyes or look away," he ordered the Englishman.

"Why?" Newkirk questioned.

"Just do it, Newkirk!"

"Yes, sir."

The corporal turned around, and Kirk fired his phaser. The Gestapo officer collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Kirk hurried over and grabbed the Gestapo officer's gun and made sure he had no other weapons on him.

"Alright, Newkirk. You can turn around now," he kindly spoke.

Newkirk turned around and looked at the unconscious Gestapo officer before him.

"What did you do?" He asked, curious.

"I'll tell you later." Kirk answered.

The two of them continued walking and eventually Kirk stopped, looking down over the edge of a cliff. Newkirk was about to walk off the edge, when the Starfleet captain stopped him with his arm. The Englishman looked down and gasped at what he saw.

The drop was about 25 feet down. There were rocky ledges and a speedy river at the bottom. The captain was pretty certain death was the sentence, but was no doctor. That was McCoy's profession. Not his.

"Where do we go now, sir?" Newkirk asked.

"I don't know," Kirk said. "But I'm pretty sure the Italians didn't take Colonel Hogan here."

Newkirk nodded and looked off at something, when suddenly his eyes grew wide.

"Captain, look out!" He warned.

Kirk turned around sharply and was quick to dodge the Gestapo officer from shoving him over the ledge of the cliff. The two fought on the ground for quite a while, as Newkirk watched from afar, standing close to the edge of a rocky and watery grave.

The two men on the ground eventually rose to their feet and started swinging throws at one another. With all his strength, Kirk managed to shove the Gestapo officer over the cliff. He flailed his arms and screamed for mercy, as he plummeted to his death.

The captain sighed.

"Thank God that's over. Where were we?"

No answer.

Kirk looked up.

"Newkirk?"

Nothing.

"Corporal Newkirk."

Again, no response came.

Kirk looked over and saw that Newkirk was gone from where he last was. The young captain gulped, fearful of what he thought happened to him.

"Oh, God, please tell me it isn't so," he begged.

He hurried to the cliff ledge and looked down at the site. He saw the body of the Gestapo officer lying on the ground beneath him, but no sign of Newkirk. He must have fallen into the river or left the area.

"NEWKIRK!" Kirk hollered.

Nothing.

The captain was about to rise, when he saw something on one of the cliff ledges. He saw a blue hat that RAF men wore during this time period and immediately knew who it belonged to. He then proceeded to frantically check the other cliff ledges, but found no sign of the man lying on or holding onto one.

Kirk gulped and closed his eyes, as he inhaled a harsh breath of air and turned to look up at the nighttime sky.

"Why?" Was all he could ask.


	7. Chapter 7: Start To Getting Somewhere

**Chapter 7: Start To Getting Somewhere:**

"Dr. McCoy, I know your foot hurts, but you've gotta get up, sir. It won't be long before the Krauts find us," Kinch pleaded quietly.

The Gestapo was getting closer to where the group of three were at the moment. All of them had been so far unsuccessful at getting McCoy up onto his feet. The rock on his foot was causing too much pressure on his already injured foot.

"Just leave me here. You and Scotty get out of here." McCoy gritted through his teeth. He had to get this rock off his foot or knew his injury would become worse before getting better.

"Dr. McCoy, if yah think I'm leaving yah here for those Nazis pigs to torture and beat yah to death, yah gotta 'nother thing comin!" Scotty cried softly.

"Come on, Doctor. There's gotta be _something_ we can do to get that rock off your foot," Kinch begged.

A light bulb turned on in Scotty's head at the mention of the sergeant's sentence.

"I got it, Sergeant Kinchloe! I need yah to look away briefly, though."

Kinch raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Was all he asked.

"Just trust me, lad."

Kinch complied and turned to look the other way.

Scotty grabbed his phaser and pointed it at the boulder weighing on McCoy's foot. After making sure to point in the correct area, the Scotsman fired his phaser, and soon enough the rock disappeared into nothing.

McCoy simply sighed with relief. His foot was feeling slightly better with the extra pressure now gone.

Kinch turned around and stared at where once a huge rock used to be.

"What did you use, Scotty?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing but me handy dandy...laser gun."

"Laser gun. I've never heard of such a thing."

"Only Navy Intelligence knows of 'em, lad."

Kinch paused for a moment, then nodded. It made perfect sense to him. Why would the Navy want that kind of information out in public, especially during the middle of a world war.

Both men grabbed McCoy's hands and somehow got him back on his feet. The doctor took a few steps, but began limping.

"Can you go any faster, Doctor?" Kinch asked.

McCoy tried to go faster, but it hurt too much. He grimaced and shook his head.

"I can't, Sergeant. I'm sorry," he sadly answered.

Kinch picked up McCoy in his arms and nodded to Scotty.

"Run, and don't look back." He ordered.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said.

The three of them hurried off away from the area until they were certain that no one else was following them. Once satisfied, Kinch put McCoy back on his feet and the three continued searching for anything to lead them to Hogan. Kinch and Scotty kept at a slower pace for McCoy to keep up with them.

The chief engineer turned to look at the sergeant.

"Yah think the others are having better luck with finding anything?"

"I hope so, Scotty...I really hope so," Kinch said.

"Well, we won't know until we meet back with the others in another hour," McCoy replied.

Kinch and Scotty nodded, and the three of them continued looking for any clues.

* * *

Kirk spent the next thirty minutes searching for Newkirk. He checked every area surrounding the cliff. Every corner he turned, though, he found no sign of the English corporal anywhere. After he was certain that there were no other places to look, Kirk sat down on a boulder, buried his face into his hands, and sighed. It had been his responsibility to look after Newkirk. Hogan had not been there to protect him, and as a commanding officer, it was his duty to protect the men under his command...even if they weren't really under his command.

How was he going to break it to Scotty, Spock, and McCoy? How was he going to break it to all of Newkirk's friends? They would be heartbroken. They would blame him for the loss of Newkirk. He felt guilt ridden for what had happened. It was a horrible, horrible accident, but that did not change the matter to him. Newkirk was gone. He had fallen off a cliff and drowned in a rushing river that, without a doubt, eventually lead to some huge waterfall miles down. How would he tell Colonel Hogan that he was responsible for one of his men's deaths? He would destroy his role model's heart with the news. How could he even look the man straight in the eye?

Kirk ran his fingers down his face, gave a heavy sigh, and turned to look up at the night sky. After getting himself together, he stood and started walking back to the meeting place, where he would gently break the news of the loss of Corporal Peter Newkirk.

* * *

LeBeau and Carter arrived at their destination and looked down at the sight they saw. It was small puddles of green liquid stained into the ground and dirt, along with footprints that stopped in a clearing of grass and trees further yonder.

"What is this stuff, Louis?" Carter asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," LeBeau simply said. "It looks like green goop."

"But where did it come from?"

"How would _I_ know?"

"I've never seen anything like it before."

"Neither have I."

"And what about the footprints? Who do you think left those?"

"I couldn't tell yah, _mon ami_. The shoes look unfamiliar, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at it," LeBeau said. He knelt down and pointed out the details to his friend. "The shoe prints have a different look to them. They aren't Allied issued boots, and they aren't Gestapo or Luftwaffe boots either."

Carter looked at them closer and finally noticed it.

"I guess they _do_ look different, don't they."

"We should tell Monsieur Spock."

"Tell me what?" Spock's voice called from behind.

Carter and LeBeau turned around and saw the man standing from behind them.

"Look what we found, Mr. Spock," Carter said, pointing to the green puddles and footprints.

Spock raised an eyebrow and crouched forward to the ground. He took out his tricorder hidden underneath his Gestapo jacket, and started scanning the footprints and the green substance. He looked at the incoming readings and nodded.

"Romulan blood," Spock said softly.

"What did you say, Mr. Spock?" Carter asked.

Spock rose to his feet and turned the enlisted airmen again.

"I believe these are the footprints of Colonel Hogan's kidnappers," Spock stated matter-of-factually.

"You do?!" Carter cheered.

"Where do they go?!" LeBeau asked, excited.

Spock shook his head.

"I do not know. The footprints stop at the clearing of bushes and trees a few meters afterwards. The track is undetectable from that point forward," he replied calmly.

Both of Hogan's men frowned and hung their heads.

"Well," LeBeau said. "So much for _that_."

"It is more information than we had before, Corporal LeBeau. With this new piece of evidence, we will be able to look further more into this mystery. We now know that both Colonel Hogan and his captors are in the surrounding area," Spock told the little Frenchman.

"But _where_ is what we wanna know," Carter answered.

"It is understandable for your want of knowing that knowledge, Sergeant Carter," Spock said.

"Hey, Mr. Spock," Carter said. "What's that green goop stuff?"

"We've never seen such a substance before in our lives," LeBeau added.

"It's a copper based fuel that the Italians have stolen from us at Naval Intelligence. They plan on using it to fuel their missiles used to attack the Allies, when its original use was to power our ships back in the Navy," Spock replied.

"Copper based fuel? I've never heard of it," LeBeau said, crossing his arms.

"Again, we do not wish to share developing ideas with others, especially during the middle of a war," Spock said.

"He makes a point," Carter said innocently.

"Wait a minute," LeBeau protested. "Does Italy even _have_ missiles?"

"Well, they must if they're stealing copper based fuel from Naval Intelligence."

The little Frenchman was silent for a brief moment, then nodded.

" _Oui_...this is true."

"Well, we should get back to the guys. We gotta tell 'em what we found."

"It would be most logical, Sergeant Carter," Spock answered.

"There you go with your 'logical talk' again." LeBeau grumbled.

Spock only stared at the little Frenchman and raised an eyebrow.

Without another word, the three of them headed back to the meeting point to meet up with the others.

* * *

Kinch and Scotty had successfully taken McCoy back to the meeting point and had the doctor sit down on a boulder to rest his foot.

Kinch looked over at McCoy with concern, as they waited for the rest to return.

"How's your foot, Doctor?" The radio man asked.

McCoy sighed.

"It's sore, Kinch. I'll probably be limping around for at _least_ two days."

"Can yah make it home on it, Doctor?" Scotty asked, worried.

"Yes, but it'll need lots of rest if I plan to continue helping you guys find Colonel Hogan, which I'm determined to do," McCoy said.

Both Kinch and Scotty nodded, when Carter, LeBeau, and Spock finally arrived.

"You guys find anything?" Carter asked, curious.

"Nothing more then a bunch of Gestapo Krauts that almost caught us, lad," Scotty answered.

"How did _that_ happen?" LeBeau asked.

"You can blame me for getting my foot caught underneath a rock and bending it the wrong way," McCoy remarked.

"Are you alright, Dr. McCoy?" Carter asked, worried.

The Starfleet medic gave a friendly smile.

"I'll be alright, kid. Don't worry. I've dealt with much worse injuries before."

The young sergeant smiled back and nodded.

"Were you guys lucky in finding anything?" Kinch asked, crossing his arms.

" _Oui, mon ami_! André and I found footprints and copper based fuel," LeBeau cheered.

"Copper based fuel. I've never heard of such a thing."

McCoy, Spock, and Scotty seemed to exchange a look, knowing what the men were referring to: Romulan blood.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said. "The Italians have been after our copper based fuel for quite some time, now. Find it very valuable to winning the war. I still don't know how they gotta hold of that stuff."

"That's what Mr. Spock said, Scotty," Carter answered.

"So as of now, we know for sure that Colonel Hogan and the Italians are somewhere in the area, but as of where, we have yet to find out," McCoy said matter-of-factually.

Carter and LeBeau nodded, then the six of them heard footsteps behind them. They turned to their left and saw Kirk sulking towards them. His expression was grim, and his eyes were dull.

"Everything alright, Captain?" Scotty asked.

Kirk gave a heavy sigh.

"Wait a minute. Where's Newkirk?" Carter asked.

"He's not coming," the captain said.

"What do yah mean he 'ain't comin', Captain?" Scotty asked, worried.

Kirk grew silent briefly before answering.

"There was a Gestapo officer who found us...and we were near a cliff a couple miles from here...Newkirk was standing close to the edge…"

"Captain, tell me it ain't so."

Kirk merely sighed.

"I shoved the Gestapo officer off the cliff, and when I turned around, Newkirk was no where to be found...I found his hat on a ledge down farther the cliff...I think he fell into the river and drowned."

"Newkirk! No!" Carter cried. Kinch held onto the young sergeant from collapsing. Poor Carter began to cry.

"Tell me it isn't so, _mon ami_!" LeBeau begged. Tears were falling down his face.

"...I wish I could, Corporal LeBeau...there was nothing I could do to save him," Kirk answered, feeling the guilt begin to take hold of him.

"It wasn't your fault, Captain," Kinch said sadly.

"Colonel Hogan isn't here to protect you men from danger. It's my duty to do so until we find him and bring him back to Stalag 13."

" _If_ , Captain," Spock said.

"What do you mean 'if'?" McCoy snarled.

"Doctor, you must know there is the possibility of not finding the colonel. We may either find him and bring him back to Stalag 13, or come up short handed and not find him at all."

"How can yah say such a thing, Mr. Spock? A man has just died, and yah think it's alright to say such things about never finding Colonel Hogan!" Scotty exclaimed.

"It is an unappealing factor, Mr. Scott, but it _is_ a possibility," Spock said.

"This is _no_ time for logic, Monsieur Spock!" LeBeau whimpered. Kinch wrapped his other arm around the weeping Frenchman, while Carter cried on the opposite side of the radio man.

"I agree with LeBeau," McCoy said, gruff.

"Come on, men...let's get back to Stalag 13," Kirk sadly said.

The seven of them started off back to camp, when Kirk noticed his best friend and CMO was limping on his right foot.

"Bones," he said. "What happened to your foot?"

"I got it caught underneath a rock and bent it back further than allowed," McCoy answered softly.

"Can you make it back to camp alright?"

"I think so, Jim, but it needs serious rest once we get back...I'm not sure I'll be able to get down into the tunnels unassisted."

Kirk took Dr. McCoy's left arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, while the captain wrapped his right arm around the doctor's waist. He helped his friend limp back to camp, as they all walked in silence and grieved for their lost friend.


	8. Chapter 8: What's Next?

**Chapter 8: What's Next?:**

McCoy somehow managed to get down into the tunnels, with the help of Spock and Kirk. He sat on a cot, sitting in the radio room with his foot being iced with an ice pack LeBeau brought him. Kirk and Kinch paced the radio room, trying to think of what to do next, after Spock had reported his findings to the young captain. Carter and LeBeau sat on stools next to the radio table in silence. They had not spoken a word since getting back to camp. They were too grief stricken over the loss of Newkirk. Their clever safe cracker. Their friend. He was gone now. Scotty and Spock stood by the radio table, watching the two men currently in command.

"You said you found copper based fuel, Mr. Spock?" Kirk questioned.

"Correct, Captain," Spock said simply.

"Where exactly?"

"A few miles south from the meeting point. It appeared to be in what looked like a hiking trail. Both the footprints and the copper based fuel stops at a plethora of shrubbery and bushes in between several trees. White spruce, I believe they were."

"It's a start. Spock, if you could guess, where would you say the footprints and copper based fuel lead off to?"

"Captain, I do not guess. It is a illogical form of thinking. It is 'taking a hunch' as you would call it."

"There he goes with all his logic talk at a time like this," McCoy grumbled.

"Doctor, I understand that this is a time of mourning and sorrow for the loss of a friend to us and the men under Colonel Hogan's command, but wallowing in grief will not find the colonel any sooner than it will now."

"Well, at least he admitted to it this time." Scotty sighed.

The seven of them heard sudden foot shuffling, and all snapped into red alert.

Kinch pulled out his pistol, and Kirk pulled out his phaser and pointed it at the tunnel near the emergency exit.

"What's that?" Kinch asked, stunned.

"A laser gun. Highly classified equipment in Naval Intelligence. It must not get out to anyone, understood?" Kirk ordered.

"Yes, sir," the sergeant said.

The two turned back to looking at the tunnel and were surprised to see a man wearing sopping wet clothes and panting from running. It was Newkirk!

"Newkirk!" Carter cheered.

"Pierre! You're alive!" LeBeau cried.

"No joke I am!" Newkirk spat.

All but McCoy ran to Newkirk.

Carter hugged him, regardless of him being wet.

"I'm so glad you're okay, buddy!" The young man spoke, smiling.

Newkirk sighed and softened. He wrapped an arm around Carter.

"I'm alright, Andrew," the Englishman said kindly.

"What happened, Pierre?" LeBeau asked.

"What do yah mean 'what happened', I bloody fell into a ruddy river, that's what! Had to walk five miles back here, since all of yah left me! Do yah know how many of Hochstetter's patrols I had to dodge pass to get back here? I'm lucky I didn't lose one of me lungs!" Newkirk retorted. He started shivering.

"Scotty, get Corporal Newkirk a blanket," Kirk commanded.

"Aye, sir," Scotty replied. He hurried off to find one, but gave a smile to the English corporal before leaving.

"You don't know how scared I got, when I saw your hat on one of the cliff ledges, Newkirk." Kirk sighed, with relief.

"Just glad I landed into the river instead of the ground like the Kraut you shoved over did." Newkirk shivered. "Bloody hell, it's freezing in here!"

Scotty returned with a wool blanket, and Carter wrapped it around his best friend. LeBeau escorted Newkirk over to sit down on a stool.

"Any warmer, Pierre?" The little Frenchman asked.

"Much warmer. Thanks, Louis," Newkirk said, grateful.

"No problem, _mon ami_."

Newkirk gave a friendly smile to his friend, then turned to stare at McCoy sitting on the cot icing his foot.

"What happened to your foot, mate?!" He asked, concerned.

"You weren't the _only_ one that had a rough night. I got my foot caught under a boulder and bent it the wrong way. Almost got Scotty, Kinch, and I caught by the Gestapo." McCoy replied.

"Can yah walk, Doc?"

"Limping is what I'd call it, but yes. To an extent."

"You mates got away before they could find yah, right?"

"Just barely, but yes," Kinch said.

"Some night we've _all_ had." Newkirk grumbled.

"Correction, Corporal," Spock said. "Sergeant Carter, Corporal LeBeau, and I were successful in finding a piece of evidence that could lead us one step closer in finding your commanding officer."

"Really?!" The Englishman cheered. "What is it, mate?"

"Footprints and small puddles of copper based fuel."

"Copper based fuel!"

"It's a long story, _mon ami_." LeBeau reassured.

"Did you find where it leads to?" Newkirk asked.

"Negative, Corporal. The path stops at a group of bushes and shrubbery in between several white spruce trees," Spock answered.

"Blimey...yah think you've finally got something, and yah suddenly end up back at square one again."

"It is more information on where Colonel Hogan is located than we had before."

"I guess yah make a point."

"Well, it's late, and you men should head off to bed. I've heard Kommandant Klink is particularly nit picky when it comes to morning roll call," Kirk suggested.

"Probably right," Kinch said.

"Good night, mates," Newkirk said, walking to the ladder.

"Sleep well," Carter said.

"Good night, _mes amis_ ," LeBeau said.

"'Night, guys," Kinch said.

It was a couple seconds before Hogan's men had returned to the barracks above, leaving Kirk and his men to themselves. The young captain turned to Spock.

"Are you sure it was Romulan blood, Spock?" Kirk asked.

"Affirmative, Captain. I used my tricorder to scan the substance, and the readings indicated that it was indeed Romulan blood. I suspect Colonel Hogan briefly regained consciousness and attempted to escape and attack one of his captors. My hypothesis is that he was minorly successful before being knocked out again and carried away to the destination the Romulans were headed off to," the Vulcan reported.

"Mr. Carter and Mr. LeBeau didn't see yah lad, did they?" Scotty asked.

"Negative, Mr. Scott. I was cautious and checked to see if they were looking, before I pulled it from underneath my jacket," Spock answered.

"Did you pick up any readings of human life with your tricorder, Spock?" Kirk questioned.

"A faint reading, but too weak to track down any living human being within the area."

"Ah, Captain. How are we ever gonna find Colonel Hogan in time before the Romulans do something awful to him?" Scotty asked.

"We'll find him, Scotty. We've been in worse predicaments before than this," Kirk answered coolly.

"Aye, sir," the chief engineer said softly.

"Jim...what if we find Colonel Hogan too late?" McCoy worried.

"What do you mean 'too late', Bones?" Kirk asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"What if he's...deceased when we find him?"

"He's alive, until we're told otherwise."

McCoy sighed and shook his head sadly. He hoped his best friend and commanding officer was correct.

"I hope you're right, Jim...I really hope you're right," he answered meekly.

"How's yer foot there, Doctor?" Scotty asked.

The old country doctor sighed heavily.

"Sore, but I'll live, thankfully." McCoy replied.

Kirk nodded.

"Well, gentlemen, I believe we, too, should head off to bed," Kirk ordered.

All Starfleet men agreed and headed off to the guest tunnel.

* * *

Hogan cracked his eyelids open just barely. Everything around him was blurry and unfocused. It hurt his head just to do so. His belly was aching worse than before, and he was growing very tired for some reason. He heard a door open, but who entered was unknown to him. He could barely tell where his feet were in front of him. He felt restraints on his ankles and wrists and remembered he was being held hostage by...who did those guys say they were...the Romulans? He couldn't remember. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember what had happened in the past 48 hours besides seeing three strange looking men, wanting him for some reason that he could not momentarily recall.

"Ready to talk _now_ , Colonel?" Sarik asked coldly.

Hogan simply looked off in the distance and gave a faint grunt. Why could he not speak? Why was his head pounding so much? Why did his belly ache so badly? He felt himself starting to lose focus of what was around him. Was he going to sleep or going unconscious? Either way, he knew he would not be responsive much longer to whomever it was that was speaking to him.

"Colonel Hogan, was that a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

Hogan let out a hard breath and groaned once again. Everything was dark and getting fuzzier to him.

Furious, Talar walked over and punched Hogan hard in his already aching belly. Hogan grabbed his middle, sucked in a sharp breath of air, and once again fell unconscious. It was then the Romulan noticed some discoloration through Hogan's shirt. He unbuttoned a few buttons, and saw that two bruises were forming on Hogan's swollen middle. One from where he just punched the American and the other from somewhere inside him.

"Commander," Talar spoke finally. "He's internally bleeding."

Sarik and Jaron walked over and saw the two huge bruises on Hogan's belly, but looked at the one Talar was pointing at. Sarik clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"He won't live long, now," Sarik said. "And he still hasn't told us why he killed Rekar."

"He was barely responsive before, Commander." Jaron pointed out.

Sarik snapped his head to Jaron.

"He wasn't, was he?"

Both Romulans shook their heads 'no'.

Sarik turned to look back at the lifeless form on the bed. Hogan's hand was placed on his middle, his color was extremely pale, and when he had been awake briefly, from what the Romulan commander could tell, his eyes seemed fogged over and unfocused.

"Talar," Sarik ordered.

"Yes, Commander," Talar said.

"Button Colonel Hogan's shirt back up. He is no use to us any longer."

"What do we do with him?"

"We leave him here to die. Proper punishment for killing a valued asset to the Romulan Empire."

"Will we remain here?"

"Until we are sure he is deceased. Perhaps he might miraculously regain consciousness and be able to communicate with us. I would still like answers as to why he committed such a foul felony."

"Yes, Commander."

The three Romulans walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Hogan was left alone in his thoughts.

 _Come on, Rob_ , he thought to himself. _You've gotta wake up. You need to think of a way out of this mess. At least a way to get a message to Kinch and the guys about where I might possibly be. You have men back at Stalag 13 who need you...friends who miss you and want you back...Klink's probably mad with rage and fear of my sudden disappearance...fight...fight, Rob...Kinch...Newkirk...Carter...LeBeau...Kinch…_

Suddenly, there was nothing. Hogan couldn't hear, see, or think anything.


	9. Chapter 9: Another Clue

**Chapter 9: Another Clue:**

Morning arrived sooner than any prisoner in barracks two wished. They tumbled out for formation and waited, as Schultz took count of each prisoner, and for Klink and Burkhalter to appear from the Kommandantur.

The Luftwaffe general had refused to leave camp, until Hogan and his captors were found, and the American was returned to Stalag 13 without harm. He would then charge his captors with the highest crime possible for kidnapping a prisoner of war and breaking and entering into a Luft Stalag undetected or uninvited into private property.

Hochstetter had left late last night to return to headquarters and receive reports from his patrol group leaders on any updates regarding the search for Hogan and/or his kidnappers.

Schultz counted each prisoner four times, as ordered by both Klink and Burkhalter. The two Luftwaffe officers had grown very strict and serious regarding each prisoner's presence during morning and evening roll call.

"Yah think Hochstetter's found anything on the Gov'nor?" Newkirk asked softly to LeBeau.

"It would be helpful if that Kraut found _anything_ at this point." LeBeau remarked, just as softly.

"Guys, I'm really starting to worry. Colonel Hogan would've figured out a way to escape and come home by now," Carter said.

"We're _all_ worried, Andrew," Newkirk said, slightly irritated. He was still upset about his whole ordeal from last night.

"What if he's hurt or really sick?"

"We're gonna find him, Carter. Don't worry. We've got Klink's patrols, Hochstetter's patrols, us, and several underground workers looking for him all over Germany. Someone has to find something sooner or later." Kinch replied, hushed.

Carter sighed sadly and hung his head.

"Yes, Kinch," the young sergeant said.

"Schultz! Report!" Burkhalter ordered from behind the big sergeant. Klink was walking side by side with his commanding officer.

After saluting both Luftwaffe officers, Schultz answered the general's request.

"All prisoners present and accounted for, _Herr Kommandant. Herr General_. I counted four times as requested," he reported.

"Excellent, Schultz." Klink groaned. He sounded as if he didn't sleep worth a dime last night.

"Anything new on the Gov'nor, Kommandant?" Newkirk asked, concerned.

Burkhalter sighed.

"As of now, nothing, Corporal Newkirk. Major Hochstetter left late last night to return to headquarters and receive reports from his patrol groups on anything they could have possibly found on Colonel Hogan."

"Oh," the Englishman sadly said.

A Gestapo staff car pulled into Stalag 13 and up to the Kommandantur. Hochstetter stepped out of the seat with two Gestapo officers following.

"Schultz, dismiss the men," Klink ordered, seeing Hochstetter and his men. He shook at the presence of the Gestapo and for what he might have to say regarding Hogan and his assumed kidnappers.

" _Jawohl, Herr Kommandant_ ," Schultz replied.

The prisoners were dismissed, and Klink, Schultz, and Burkhalter headed over to Hochstetter and his men, both captains in ranking. Klink saluted the Gestapo major, which he returned, then saluted Burkhalter, who did nothing but stare at him in response.

"Major Hochstetter, welcome back to Stalag 13," Klink spoke, shaky.

"Shut up, Klink," Hochstetter snarled.

"Yes, Major Hochstetter," the kommandant's voice quivered.

"Shall we take this conversation somewhere more private, Klink?" Burkhalter suggested.

"Of course, _Herr General_ ," Klink replied, knowing it wasn't a suggestion.

The six Germans walked into the Kommandantur and into Klink's office.

Carter, Newkirk, and LeBeau gathered around Kinch, as they all watched the exchange between Klink, Burkhalter, and Hochstetter.

"Anyone up for some coffee?" Kinch asked.

"A big cup of it, at that," Newkirk answered.

The four prisoners headed inside barracks two and into Hogan's bedroom. Newkirk got out the coffee pot and turned it on. The four of them were lucky to find out that all the Germans had just entered into Klink's office.

* * *

"Major Hochstetter, I suspect you have heard from your patrols on how the search is coming," Klink said, sitting down in his desk chair.

Burkhalter sat in the chair underneath a portrait of Hitler, Schultz had left to patrol around camp, and Hochstetter's two men stood guard beside the door, as their commanding officer walked around the kommandant's office.

"Yes, and you and General Burkhalter will be interested in knowing that one of my men found something that might be a clue to where Hogan is," the Gestapo major reported.

"A clue, Major? What is it?" Klink gasped. He held in his excitement as much as he could. Was it possible that the Gestapo had found something that got them one step closer to finding Hogan? His Senior POW officer...his friend, despite being enemies in the war.

Hochstetter looked over to his men, then quickly back at Klink.

"Heinrich," he ordered.

Heinrich, a tall man, slim, with brown hair, and deep blue eyes, walked over to Hochstetter and saluted his commanding officer.

" _Jawohl, Herr Major_ ," Heinrich said, in a strong tone.

"Place the object on Colonel Klink's desk."

" _Jawohl, Herr Major_."

Heinrich placed the object on the kommandant's desk and returned to his post, after again saluting his commanding officer and receiving the same salute back from Hochstetter.

Klink and Burkhalter stared at the object in front of them for the longest amount of time. It had the form of a gun, but it was much slimmer than a pistol and looked easy to conceal on anyone. It had a red button as a trigger, and a green glowing bar on each side of it. (1)

Klink picked it up in his hands and looked at it more closely, before turning back to Hochstetter.

"What is it, Major?" He gasped, intrigued by the weapon.

"I don't know. It looks like some high tech gun. I assume whoever has Hogan is the owner of such a device," Hochstetter replied.

"But...what does it do?" Klink asked.

He pointed it towards the wall and pressed the red button. A turquoise blue ray of light beamed out from it and struck the wall. Hochstetter jumped out of the way, almost being the original target, leaving a huge burn in its place. All three Germans gaped at the site at first, then Hochstetter snapped around and grabbed the gun back from Klink before he killed someone with it.

"Give me that! Before you shoot someone's head off!" Hochstetter snapped.

Klink nodded, trembling at the same time. He wanted the object as far away from him as possible.

"Major," Burkhalter began. "Where would Hogan's kidnappers get such an object in their grasps? No one in the German government has such weaponry."

"That's what I would like to know as well, General," Hochstetter remarked, still irritated with Klink's neurotic behavior earlier.

"Did you find anything else, Major?"

Hochstetter sighed.

"No, _Herr General_. We were unsuccessful with last night's search other than finding that laser gun. I plan on sending another couple of patrol groups to search again tonight."

"As I will do the same," Klink remarked, wagging his finger.

"Did _your_ men happen to find anything, Klink?" Burkhalter asked.

"No," Klink wallowed. "My men were as unlucky as Major Hochstetter's were."

"And if we keep this luck up, we'll _never_ find him."

* * *

Kinch turned off the coffee pot, put it away, then turned to his friends who were looking at him.

"Kinch, they found one of Captain Kirk's laser guns." Carter gasped.

"Oh, this can't be good." LeBeau groaned.

"Great. That's just great! _Now_ what?" Newkirk hissed.

"We gotta tell Captain Kirk," Kinch answered.

The four men left Hogan's quarters and made their way down into the tunnels. They found Kirk sitting on the cot in the radio room talking to McCoy. Scotty was sitting on the stool next to the radio table flipping through one of Kinch's magazines, and Spock was inspecting the radio itself. It amazed him how these men used to use such basic equipment to communicate with one another.

"Captain Kirk," Kinch said.

Kirk and McCoy turned to look at the sergeant.

"Good morning, Mr. Kinchloe. Carter, LeBeau, Newkirk. How can we help you?" Kirk asked cordially.

"We've gotta talk. It's important," Kinch answered.

"I don't like the sound of this," McCoy moaned.

Kirk looked quickly at his CMO, rose, then approached the leading sergeant.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure," Kinch said. "...how bad would it be, sir, if the Gestapo got a hold of one of those laser guns?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Captain, we overheard Major Hochstetter speaking through our coffee pot in Klink's office. One of his patrols found one in the forest late last night."

"A _coffee pot_!" Scotty cried, astounded.

"It's our listening device to listen in on Ol' Klink up there." Newkirk replied.

Kirk turned and slammed a fist into one of his palms.

"Romulans," He hissed softly.

"What, Captain?" Kinch asked.

Kirk turned to face the radio man with a serious look.

"We've gotta get that laser gun back," he ordered.

"How do we do that, Captain?! That gun could blow our entire cover, sir!" Scotty cried.

Spock stood silently, thinking before turning to Newkirk.

"Corporal Newkirk, we were told back at Naval Intelligence that you were an expert in pick pocketing and stealing things from others without knowledge of it being you," he began.

"Yeah, Mr. Spock. What about it?" Newkirk asked.

"How easy would it be to retrieve it from Kommandant Klink's desk and bring it back here?"

"You mean go in there while Burkhalter, Hochstetter and his goons are in there?! Mr. Spock, yah've gone bloody crackers!"

"Pierre could get killed!" LeBeau exclaimed.

"And if that gun doesn't get back into our possession, _all_ of us could get killed!" Kirk retorted, in a harsh manner.

"What are we gonna do, guys?" Carter asked.

Newkirk sighed, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well...I've got an idea. It's not great like one of the Gov'nor's ideas, but it's something rather than nothing," he said.

"What is it, Newkirk?" Kirk asked.

* * *

"There has to be _something_ here that we're just not looking at carefully," Klink said, pacing his office. While he went one way, Hochstetter was pacing in the opposite direction.

"Perhaps there's something else where my men found that gun that they didn't see before," Hochstetter suggested.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"What?!" Klink bellowed.

The door opened, and LeBeau and Newkirk walked in holding buckets of water and mops.

"Cleaning service," Newkirk said, coming into the already crowded office.

"Your office is long overdue, Kommandant," LeBeau added.

"WHO ARE THESE MEN?!" Hochstetter hollered, pointing at both prisoners.

"Corporal Newkirk... _cockroach_...OUT!" Klink demanded. (2)

"Sir, yah can't be serious!" Newkirk remarked.

"We are in the middle of a serious meeting regarding the whereabouts of Colonel Hogan. Now, unless you want us to never find him, I suggest you leave... _Immediately_!"

LeBeau looked over at Klink's desk, then walked over to it and wiped his finger on one of the sides. He looked at his finger and shook his head, clicking his tongue softly.

"Oh, Kommandant," he said sadly. "This is not good. _Ceci est très sale_." (3)

"Speak English, cockroach!" Klink ordered.

"Kommandant, do you know you have _termites de poussière_?"

"I have what?"

"Dust termites," LeBeau simply shook his head. "Lots of them, Kommandant. Result of having a messy office."

"Dust termites! Impossible!"

"I wouldn't deny it, Kommandant. Soon your entire office is gonna be covered with 'em," Newkirk replied.

"Klink, I do not call having dust termites following Luft Stalag regulations!" Burkhalter spat.

"Yes, _Herr General_. I will have them clean up this office at once," Klink said, smiling. He turned to the prisoners and glowered at them. "Do it quietly," he begged.

Newkirk and LeBeau nodded and started cleaning the office of the 'dust termites'.

"Shall we take this outside, men?" Klink suggested.

"Yes, Klink. It would give us more privacy," Burkhalter said.

Burkhalter, Klink, Hochstetter, and the two captains walked out of the office, leaving the two prisoners by themselves. LeBeau, still standing by the desk, saw the laser gun and picked it up. He looked at it carefully, trying to figure out what it was.

"Hey, Pierre," LeBeau whispered. "I think I found it."

"Give it here, Louis," Newkirk softly spoke.

LeBeau tossed the Englishman the phaser. Newkirk caught it after letting out a gasp of air. He looked over and glared at the little Frenchman.

"Blimey, Louis! You don't know what this thing'll do if it lands hard on the ground!" He hissed.

"Sorry, _mon ami_."

Newkirk shook his head, then put the firearm in his sock.

"There," he said. "No one will dare look for it in me sock."

LeBeau nodded.

The two went back to looking like they were cleaning. Newkirk looked over at Klink's desk and pretended to be puzzled at the sudden 'disappearance' of the Romulan weapon.

"Louis, wasn't there something on that desk before?" Newkirk asked, perplexed in a normal tone.

LeBeau looked over from wiping the desk with a cleaning rag and nodded.

"Wasn't there some type of gun there?" He asked.

"Where did it go?"

"How do I know?! I was just cleaning the desk and minding my own business!"

The Germans came rolling back into the office.

"WHAT?!" Klink cried.

Burkhalter, Klink, and Hochstetter hurried to the kommandant's desk, as the two Gestapo captains once again stood guard of the door.

"One of them has it!" Hochstetter hollered.

"Check the prisoners!" Klink commanded.

Heinrich frisked Newkirk, while the other one frisked the little Frenchman. Finding nothing, they turned to face their commanding officer.

"Neither of them has it, _Herr Major_ ," Heinrich reported.

"What do you _mean_ 'none of them has it'?!" Hochstetter ordered.

"We've checked every pocket and found nothing," the second captain answered.

Klink gulped and walked over to Newkirk.

"Corporal Newkirk, what happened?" He begged to know.

"I don't know, Kommandant. One minute it was there, the next minute it wasn't," the Englishman said.

"Klink, I want these men shot!" Hochstetter hollered.

"You heard your men, Major. Neither prisoner has the weapon on them," Burkhalter remarked, irritated.

"So, where is it if neither one of my prisoners have it?" Klink asked, concerned.

"Well, sir, the dust termites are taken care of. Now about this window," Newkirk said, abruptly changing the topic of discussion.

"OUT!" Klink wailed.

The two POWs complied and left the office, leaving a bunch of frustrated, confused, and anxious Germans to themselves.

* * *

(1) The weapon Hochstetter discovered and that LeBeau and Newkirk stole at the end of the chapter was a Romulan disruptor pistol. There are only two other races in the 'Star Trek' world that know how to use them: the Klingons and the Breens. More information about these humanoids can be found on 'Star Trek: Memory Alpha' online.

(2) Cockroach is the nickname both Schultz and Klink have for LeBeau in the show. It is used several times throughout the entire series of 'Hogan's Heroes'.

(3) ' _Ceci est très_ _sale_ ' means 'This is very dirty' in French.


	10. Chapter 10: On The Right Track

**Chapter 10: On The Right Track:**

Spock examined the Romulan pistol and nodded once finished. He turned to look up at Kirk, who had been watching him carefully.

"It is indeed a weapon belonging to the Italians, Captain," Spock reported.

"Where did that Hochstetter lad say he found this again?" Scotty asked.

"I don't remember. Sorry, mate," Newkirk answered sincerely.

"Captain," Spock said.

Kirk walked over to his second in command, who pointed to something on the pistol.

"Property of Commander Sarik," the Vulcan noted.

"What kinda name is Sarik?" LeBeau questioned.

"Weirdest Italian name _I've_ ever heard," Newkirk added.

"Commander Sarik. I've never heard of him, Spock," Kirk answered.

"Shall I contact the ship and have them look up this said Commander?"

"Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you, Spock."

"Acknowledged, Captain."

"You can use the radio, Mr. Spock. I'm sure London wouldn't mind," Carter said.

"No thank you, Sergeant Carter. I have my own means of communication that I have brought with me."

"What is it?" A curious LeBeau asked.

"I can not disclose any of that information. It is top secret equipment that does not need publicity at this time," Spock replied.

" _Oui, Monsieur Spock_ ,"

The Vulcan walked off to another part of the tunnel. After making sure no one was around, he flicked open his communicator and began hailing the Enterprise's frequency channel.

"Spock to Enterprise, come in, Enterprise," he called.

" _Mr. Sulu here, Mr. Spock_ ," Sulu said.

"Mr. Sulu, the Captain and I would be appreciative if you could get information on a Commander Sarik of the Romulan Empire. We have located his disruptor pistol and perhaps the information will help us find the whereabouts of Colonel Hogan."

" _Of course, Mr. Spock. By the way, how's the search for Colonel Hogan coming? How are his men holding out_?"

"The colonel's men are worried for him, but are managing well without him. As for how the search is going, so far we have found nothing but the pistol and a trail of footprints and Romulan blood stopping at the beginning of a place of shrubbery and bushes in between two white spruce trees."

" _Better than nothing, Mr. Spock_."

"Yes, Mr. Sulu. As you would say it, 'the sooner we find Colonel Hogan, the better.'"

" _Can say that again, Mr. Spock. I will get on your request immediately_."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Spock out."

He closed the communicator and walked back to the seven men waiting for him.

"Well?" Kirk asked.

"It is being looked into immediately, Captain. Headquarters will report its findings as soon as possible."

"Good, Spock."

"Jim, the longer these guys have Colonel Hogan, the more concerned I grow for his health. They must be doing something to him that's not good for him," McCoy worried.

"Colonel Hogan's a strong man, Doctor. He'll hold out as long as necessary, before we find him," Kinch said, crossing his arms.

"I've got a bad feeling." Carter shivered.

"What kinda feeling, lad?" Scotty asked, genuinely concerned.

"I keep feeling like the colonel's in trouble...that he needs us to find him now...it might sound stupid, but," Newkirk cut Carter off.

"It's not stupid to worry, Andrew. We're _all_ worried about him."

"I'm scared, Newkirk. What if he's really hurt?"

The Englishman rubbed Carter's shoulder gently.

"He'll be alright, mate. Hopefully, the information we get back from the...what's the name of your ship again?"

"The Vulcan," Kirk said.

"Right," Newkirk said. "Hopefully, the information we get back from the Vulcan will give us more of an idea on where to look for the Gov'nor."

"I hope so," Carter answered.

Kinch, standing next to the radio, picked up the Romulan pistol and looked at it cautiously.

"These aren't regular Italians we're dealing with. No Italian soldier has a weapon like this in their reach," he reported.

"They're a group called the Romulans," McCoy informed.

"Romulans," LeBeau remarked.

"They're a...spy group...only known discreetly among a few Italians and another selected few. One of them being us," the doctor continued.

"They don't sound like good news, _mon ami_."

"They're not friendly, _that's_ for certain."

"Dr. McCoy, what are the Romulans like?" Carter asked.

McCoy turned to look at Spock.

"You can describe them better than me," he said.

Spock nodded and turned to look at Carter.

"The Romulans are a group of people who are often very sly, malicious, and calculating thinkers who are not above using underhanded techniques to reach a goal," Spock told.

"What...kind of techniques?" Carter asked. He was not sure whether or not he wanted to know the answer to his question.

Spock was silent for a moment. If McCoy had been wrong, it looked like the Vulcan was debating whether or not to let the young sergeant know what he meant by 'underhanded techniques'. None of the Starfleet officers wanted to worry any of Hogan's men more than they already were.

"They can have a propensity to be somewhat...pugnacious," Spock answered.

Carter looked at him confused. The young sergeant turned to Newkirk to see if he had an explanation.

"Blimey, speak ruddy English, Mr. Spock! _None_ of us know what you're saying!" The Englishman exclaimed.

"They sometimes can be very...abusive with their questioning methods," Spock clarified.

"WHAT?!" All of Hogan's men exclaimed.

"We gotta find 'em!" Carter cried, wringing his hands.

"They could be _killing mon Colonel_ for all we know!" LeBeau added.

"Doctor," Spock said. "Your request for clarification was not obliging to the calming of Colonel Hogan's men."

"You and your damn logic, Spock. You could show a bit of sympathy regarding this matter. We have four men worried sick for the commanding officer, their friend, and all you're doing is spitting out information like a damn computer!" McCoy snapped.

"Stop it, all of yah! Fighting like this isn't gonna help Colonel Hogan!" Scotty snarled.

" _All_ of you, knock it off!" Kirk ordered.

There was nothing but silence. No one dared to speak, until Kirk had once again.

"I need a commanding crew for this assignment. Not a bunch of five year olds arguing with one another! There's a man's life on the line here, and I will put up with absolutely _no_ bickering!"

Carter's lip quivered, as he fought back from crying.

"You sound like Colonel Hogan…" the young sergeant whimpered.

Kirk looked over at Carter and walked slowly towards him. He placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, making the young man look up to see who it was.

"We'll find him, Sergeant. I promise. We'll find him and bring him home," the captain said, smiling.

Carter gave a small smile and nodded with tears brimming in his eyes.

The young sergeant wiped his eyes, as Kirk gently patted his shoulder. He then made his way back to the middle of the room and signaled for Kinch to come to him. The radioman followed orders and walked over to the captain.

"What do you suggest next, Mr. Kinchloe?" Kirk asked.

"We've got a general area on where the colonel might be. I say we go out again tonight and have Carter, LeBeau, and Mr. Spock show us where they found that...uh...copper based fuel you said?" Kinch asked, unsure of himself.

"You got it, Sergeant," Kirk said, beaming.

* * *

Sulu paced back and forth on the bridge. It had been over three hours since Spock called the Enterprise, and the helmsman still had not heard anything back on Commander Sarik. He was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. He was a patient man and normally waiting for something was not all that bothering to him. He knew about Hogan's men, though. He knew how loyal, caring, and supportive they were of their commanding officer. How they would lay down their lives for him at any cost. It made him remember how he felt the same way regarding Captain Kirk. He could not imagine the fear and terror they were feeling, not knowing where Hogan was or what the Romulans were doing to him.

He continued pacing, when the turbolift doors opened, and a lieutenant in blue came running down to Sulu.

"Mr. Sulu," the lieutenant cried.

The Japanese helmsman looked up at the man, wondering what was the problem.

"What is it, Lieutenant Jones?" Sulu asked.

"Read this. It's the information on Commander Sarik you requested." Jones handed over the papers on Commander Sarik he got from the computer.

Sulu read over it and soon seemed highly interested in what he found.

"Where did you find this?" He asked.

"It was in one of the computer's memory banks. Sorry it took so long. There were lots of commanders to go through before getting to him," Jones answered.

"Interesting... _very_ interesting," Sulu said. "I think Captain Kirk will find this information highly useful in finding Colonel Hogan."

* * *

The eight men were discussing the plan for that night, when Spock's communicator beeped. All men turned to him.

"What was that?" LeBeau asked.

"What was what, Louis?" Carter asked.

"It sounded like some sort of transmission."

Spock turned to Kirk.

"Captain," he said. "I believe I am receiving an incoming call from the Vulcan."

Kirk nodded.

"Very well, Spock. You may take your conversation somewhere less...crowded," The young captain answered.

"Is it about Colonel Hogan?" Carter asked, with hope.

"It is a possibility, Sergeant Carter. If you would excuse me," Spock said.

The commander made his way out of the radio tunnel, leaving the others behind him.

"Do you think it's something about the Gov'nor?" Newkirk asked.

"Oh, I hope so," LeBeau pleaded.

"It would be a lot more helpful than what we've got on them already," Kinch added.

" _Anything_ will be more helpful then as it is now!" A slightly irritated Newkirk retorted.

Spock returned and looked at Kirk.

"Captain," he said.

Kirk looked over at Spock and saw him gesture with his head towards farther down the tunnel. He turned back to Hogan's men.

"Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen," Kirk said.

He followed after Spock, with Scotty and a limping McCoy behind him.

Once the four were alone, Kirk turned and saw the doctor standing besides him.

"Bones! What are you doing up and walking?" He ordered.

"I needed to hear this, Jim," the Starfleet medic answered.

"What did the Enterprise have to say, Mr. Spock?" Scotty asked.

"Mr. Sulu had some rather interesting news on this Commander Sarik, whose disruptor pistol is currently in our possession." Spock replied.

"What kind of information?" Kirk asked, intrigued.

"Personal information, Captain. Commander Sarik is the son of two farmers back on Romulus. Such information would be deeply buried in documents due to the feeling of shame and dishonor the Romulans would feel to having such a background."

"The Romulans are known for being very prestigious, Captain," Scotty said.

"Hmmm...very interesting information indeed, Mr. Spock," Kirk said, starting to pace. "So...Commander Sarik is the son of farmers."

"That is what Mr. Sulu reported to me just now, Captain." Spock replied.

"Knowing the Romulans, if traveling back to Earth 1944 in the middle of Germany, they would choose to reside in a place rather familiar to them, would they not?"

"It seems logical, Captain."

"Huh," McCoy said, crossing his arms. "I didn't think Romulans had farmers. I thought they were all diplomatic or involved in the military somehow."

"All civilizations are built on farming and agriculture, Doctor. The Romulans would bury such information to those outside of their own government. They do not strive on others knowing their background if one is such as Commander Sarik's. It is not something a Romulan in the military would be proud of others knowing," Spock informed.

"Gentlemen, I believe we've just narrowed down our search for Colonel Hogan," Kirk said.

McCoy and Scotty gave faint smiles and they, and Spock, followed their commanding officer back out to the radio room. McCoy sat back down on the cot to rest his foot as Kirk, Spock, and Scotty looked at Hogan's men. They were all silent for a long while.

"Well?!" LeBeau cried, not standing the silence any longer.

"You men will be highly interested in knowing that Commander Sarik, suspected kidnapper of your colonel, has the background of being a farmer's son," Kirk answered.

"Why is that interesting news? _Lots_ of blokes come from farming families," Newkirk commented.

"Corporal Newkirk, would you not seek out a familiar setting to hold a prisoner in an unfamiliar country?" Spock prodded.

LeBeau crossed his arms.

"Makes sense, Pierre," the little Frenchman said.

"What are you trying to say, Captain?" Kinch asked.

"My men and I believe that Commander Sarik is hiding out in a farmer's house around the area. Which one is yet to be known," Kirk answered.

"Oh, man! You sure it might be the place?" Carter cried, excited.

Kirk could not help but smile.

"Yes, Carter. I believe we're on the right track now in finding your colonel," the Starfleet captain spoke kindly.

"Guys, we _are_ gonna find him!" The young sergeant cheered.

Kinch smirked.

"We were _always_ gonna find him, Carter," the radio man said.

The young man simply grinned from ear to ear.

"What do we do first, Kinch?" Newkirk asked, just as pumped as Carter was.

The sergeant turned to look at Kirk.

"Captain, what do you think?" He asked.

"Alright," Kirk said. "Tonight, we go back out searching. Only _this_ time, we head straight to the nearest farm house."


	11. Chapter 11: Round Two

**Chapter 11: Round Two:**

Night came soon enough, and Hogan's men and the Starfleet officers left camp. They headed out into the forest to search for more clues and check out the nearest farm houses. Hopefully, they would find something that would be an indication of Hogan possibly being held prisoner there.

None of them dared to split up this time around. McCoy's foot and Newkirk's near death experience had been enough for all of them to handle on this assignment.

Kirk's crew and the POWs followed Spock, Carter, and LeBeau, as they were lead to where they found the Romulan blood and footprints the night before.

"How much farther is this walk?" McCoy groaned softly. His foot was starting to hurt worse than it had been from all the walking. He had wrapped his foot in gauze and given himself pain medication, but even that was starting to fail in help.

Kirk looked back at his best friend, then up into his eyes.

"Why, is your foot bothering you?" He asked.

"No," McCoy lied. "I'm just getting bored of walking is all."

"You could have stayed back in the tunnels."

"I said my foot's fine, Jim."

Kirk looked at him for a brief moment longer, knowing McCoy was lying, then continued walking. Usually, he would have ordered the man to stay behind and rest his foot while the rest of them went searching for Hogan. He also knew how determined and important this was to his CMO, and he needed McCoy with him. Depending on what condition Hogan would be in when they found him, McCoy's specialties might be needed immediately on scene.

Spock stopped and held LeBeau and Carter back from going any farther. He waited for Kirk to come up to the front with Kinch by his side.

"Over there, Captain," Spock said, pointing a few feet in front of him.

Kirk and Kinch walked over to the area and squatted down to get a better look. The Vulcan trailed behind them and followed suit.

The young captain ran his finger across one of the green puddles, then looked at his finger.

"Dried; it's been here for a while then," he said, looking at Spock.

"It would appear so, Captain."

"These don't look like military issued boots," Kinch protested.

"I told you, Sergeant Kinchloe. This is a top secret Italian spy group. They have their own style of uniforms." Kirk replied.

Kinch nodded, then turned back to the footprints and followed them with his eyes. He stopped at the bunch of shrubbery and bushes in between two large white spruce trees.

"Looks like they stop here," the sergeant said.

"Where did they go off to, though?" Carter asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Andrew." Newkirk answered, a bit irritated.

Scotty scanned around the area and looked back at Kirk, Spock, and Kinch, when he snapped his head back around as far as it would go to the left. He then turned to face the other way to get a better view of what he saw. He saw a pile of objects that looked like sticks and a box with a handle on it.

"Captain!" He gasped.

Kirk and Kinch looked up from what they were doing at the engineer.

"What is it, Scotty?" Kirk asked.

"Over there, lads. I see something."

"Lead the way, Mr. Scott."

Scotty took the group towards a clearing that looked like a hiking trail. Once there, Kirk, Kinch, and Spock knelt down to look at the objects closely.

There was a detonator and about five small sticks of dynamite. They were scattered all over the place, looking as if someone had dropped them.

"Captain," Spock said.

Kirk looked up and saw his second in command pointing at something in front of them a bit further. Kirk and Kinch crawled over slightly and gasped at the site. It was a small pool of blood... _human_ blood.

"My God," the captain gasped softly.

"You think it's the colonel's blood?" Kinch asked.

"Without a doubt."

"Kinch!" Carter exclaimed.

"He's gonna be fine, Carter. It's small, so he wasn't bleeding that much," Kinch tried calming his friend.

"I'll bloody _kill_ whoever hit him!" Newkirk snarled, pounding his palm.

" _No one_ hits _mon Colonel_!" LeBeau hissed.

Kirk looked up to where the footprints and Romulan blood was, then where they were currently.

"It looks like they headed west of here," Kirk reported.

"And I bet they picked the nearest farm house in the area that way." Dr. McCoy continued. "Lord knows if they killed the people living in their hide out, they'll kill Colonel Hogan, too, if we don't find them soon."

Carter swallowed a knot down, yet his facial expression remained calm.

"Let's go and get 'em," Newkirk said.

"I agree," LeBeau said.

"We can not go up to the house and just barge in, Corporal Newkirk. It is not logical nor is it tactical," Spock replied calmly.

"There could be a great man dying as we speak, and you have the decency to bring tactics into this?!" McCoy spat.

"Doctor, marching in on the Romulans will only give them the higher advantage. They will not hesitate to kill either, if they feel it's necessary."

McCoy grumbled something that only he could understand.

Scotty sighed.

"As much as it's gonna sound crazy, Captain, I agree with Mr. Spock. If we just barge in on them, they could cause more harm to Colonel Hogan than they already have, sir."

Kirk nodded.

"You make a good point, Scotty," he said.

"I agree. Colonel Hogan always had a plan before breaking us out of somewhere," Kinch added.

"And that's what we'll do."

"But what is it we'll do exactly?" Carter asked.

"We'll have to think of something. And quickly, too. The longer we wait to save the colonel, the more harm the Romulans can cause him," Kinch answered.

The eight of them heard rustling in the bushes over yonder and froze.

"What was that, Captain?" Scotty asked softly.

"One of you, hand over your gun to me," Kirk ordered.

Kinch silently handed over his gun to the captain. Getting up and pointed at the prisoners, he gestured to Scotty.

"Join 'em, Scotty," Kirk said.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said, and made his way over towards the four prisoners.

"Spock, get behind them and pretend to be pointing a gun at one of their heads."

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock said. He made his way behind Carter and held his phaser at the back of the young man's head. The young sergeant swallowed a knot in his throat and fought back from shaking. Even knowing that Spock would never kill him, it still scared him having a weapon pressed against his head.

The rustling got closer and louder.

"Just follow my lead, men." Kirk ordered.

"Yes, Captain Kirk," Kinch said for all of them.

The captain nodded and after hearing the rustling again, started acting like a real Gestapo major.

"Alright, that's far enough there, swine!" Kirk harshly spoke.

"Yes, sir," Scotty trembled.

Three Gestapo officers came out of the bushes and saw Kirk, Spock, and McCoy surrounding Scotty and the prisoners of Stalag 13.

"What's going on here, Major?" The leader, a captain, questioned.

"Got a couple prisoners of war here trying to escape. From the toughest POW camp known, you know," Kirk answered.

"Stalag 13, is it not?" The captain asked.

"Right you are, Captain."

"You need any help there, Major?"

"No, I think I'm alright here. Wouldn't you, Sergeant?"

"Affirmative, Major," Spock answered.

"Any help, are you kidding me? I'm still limping from when the Major here broke my foot," McCoy replied. He proved himself by taking a couple of steps forward.

"He hurt one of his own men?" The captain gasped.

"I have bit of a temper," Kirk answered, smiling.

The captain gulped softly and nodded.

"I see, Major," was all the young captain said.

Kirk nodded at Spock, then turned his attention back to the prisoners.

"Alright there, now none of yah move. You wouldn't want me reporting this to Major Hochstetter, would you?" He threatened.

"You know Major Hochstetter?" The captain asked, as if the name terrified him.

"I'm familiar with the man, yes."

The captain turned to his two lieutenants, then all three of them started bursting into laughter.

"Are you kidding me?! The man's a joke!" The captain laughed.

Kirk soon joined in the laughing, along with McCoy, Scotty, and Hogan's men. After a little while, Kirk stopped laughing and glared coldly at the prisoners.

"Silence," he ordered.

"Yes, Major," Scotty shivered.

"Well, looks like you got it covered there, Major. Thanks for the laugh," the captain said, smiling.

"You gentlemen have a good night," Kirk remarked.

"You, too."

The three Gestapo officers left and once the coast was clear, all of them sighed, and Kirk handed Kinch his gun back.

"Boy, that was sure close," Carter said.

"We would've had a lot more trouble saving Colonel Hogan from a holding cell now, wouldn't we?" Kirk replied to the young sergeant.

"Yes, sir."

"Why don't we go a little further down following the footprints we found and see where it leads us. Then we'll head back to camp and plan our move on how to save the colonel," Kinch suggested.

"I think that's an _excellent_ idea, Mr. Kinchloe," Kirk said, smiling.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'excellent', Captain Kirk," Kinch said, blushing.

The Starfleet captain turned to the rest.

"Shall we, gentlemen?" He asked.

"Great," McCoy groaned. "More walking."

Spock picked up McCoy and cradled him in his arms.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, Spock!" The country doctor hissed.

"I realize that, Doctor. However, your complaining is becoming a bit...unbearable," the Vulcan worded carefully.

McCoy gaped at Spock before grinning slightly.

"Spock, are you saying you're growing annoyed?" The old doctor teased.

"I would not go that far with calling it that, Doctor." The Vulcan answered coolly.

McCoy frowned and looked away.

"Just hurry it up, would yah?" He moaned.

Kirk smirked, shook his head, then continued with Kinch by his side and the six other men following from behind.


	12. Chapter 12: Conditions Growing Worse

**A/N:** Fair warning, the action scene near the end of this between the Romulans and Captain Kirk and Spock I think sucks, but don't know how to fix it any other way. If any of you have ideas or it doesn't seem to suck to you, please leave your comments in the reviews! I would love feedback from you guys! Without further ado (adieu?), here's the next chapter of the crossover! Enjoy! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Conditions Growing Worse:**

Hogan's eyelids were black and was becoming more unresponsive than before. The bruises on his belly had gotten slightly bigger; and his skin was draining of its color and clammy. His breathing was growing shallow, but still evident to others he was alive... _barely_.

Talar finished scanning Hogan with his tricorder and showed the readings to Sarik.

"He's vital signs are weakening, Commander," he reported to the Romulan.

Sarik nodded.

"So they are," was all he said.

"He won't live for much longer, Commander. I'd give him another 48 hours before his condition becomes fatal," Jaron spoke.

"That last blow to the head must have been enough to cause severe damage," Talar suggested.

"And by how little we've been feeding him, his severely dehydrated."

"I'll wait and see what the next 48 hours holds. If he's still unconscious, we'll do away with him." Sarik replied.

"What will we do with him?" Jaron asked.

"Leave him here. We'll be gone before anyone finds his body," Sarik said.

"Yes, Commander," Talar said.

"Serves him well," Jaron said. "It's what he gets after killing a fine man such as Rekar."

"He was indeed, Jaron," Sarik said.

"I hope he's suffering _severely_ for his crime," Talar said, glaring at the unconscious man.

Sarik did not answer. He just continued to look at the lifeless form lying before him in the bed.

"Come, men. Let's leave our prisoner to think about what he's done," he softly spoke.

Talar and Jaron followed Sarik out of the room, leaving Hogan all to himself.

* * *

Hogan heard only fragments of what was exchanged between the Romulans, as he lay there barely conscious.

" _...vital signs weakening_ ," one said.

" _...won't live much longer...48 hours...condition becomes fatal_." Another voice spoke.

" _...severely dehydrated_."

" _Serves him well...what he gets after killing…_ "

"... _hope he's suffering **severely**_!..."

Hogan fluttered his eyes just barely open for a brief second. He was so out of it, he could not even feel his pain anymore. He could feel he had lost a decent amount of weight. Nothing around him seemed clear, and objects around him were either fuzzy or black blobs. Hogan closed his eyes, and his head rolled to the right side of him. He drifted off into a world filled with darkness, silence, and above all, peace.

* * *

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Newkirk, Kinch, Carter, and LeBeau had made it safely back into the tunnels and made their way to the radio room.

"I _know mon Colonel's_ in that farmhouse! I can feel it," LeBeau said, with determination.

"I'm with Louis on this one. Something about that house said 'the Gov'nor' all over it," Newkirk said.

"Something about that house _did_ seem suspicious. I won't lie to you, Newkirk. I think I saw someone that looked foreign wandering around inside," Kinch said, crossing his arms.

"What do we do, Captain?" Scotty asked.

Kirk thought for a minute before gesturing everyone to the radio table. He looked over to Hogan's radioman.

"Kinch, you have a sheet of paper and pencil I could use?" He asked.

"How big of a sheet, Captain?" Kinch asked.

"Doesn't matter."

Kinch got a huge sheet of paper big enough for an entire house plan to be put on it, and one of his best pencils for Kirk. The captain took them gratefully and began drawing his own house plan of the place. He made a drawing of what he assumed the inside looked like.

"Alright, so pretend this is the inside of the farmhouse," he began.

"Got 'cha, boy, I mean, Captain Kirk." Carter quickly fixed his error and looked slightly embarrassed.

"What next?" Newkirk asked eagerly.

"So here's what I was thinking. Scotty, you'll go in through the front door with Newkirk and LeBeau. Search the living room, bathrooms, and basement for either any Romulans and/or Colonel Hogan," Kirk ordered.

"Aye, sir. I can manage that," Scotty said.

"Good," Kirk said. "Kinch, you and Carter will go in from the back door or patio and check in the dining room and back rooms of the house."

"Got it, Captain Kirk." Kinch replied.

"No problem, Captain Kirk," Carter added in, smiling.

"What are you, Mr. Spock, and Doc gonna do, sir?" Newkirk asked.

McCoy raised an eyebrow and could not help but chuckle.

"Doc, huh? First time anyone's called me that one."

"Doesn't bother you, does it?" Newkirk asked, slightly worried he offended the medical officer.

"No...just stay away from 'Quack', and it'll be fine as rain."

"No problem, Doc. Yah don't seem like a quack anyways."

"Well, I hope not."

Kirk smirked at the exchange between McCoy and Newkirk, then got back to the point of things.

"Dr. McCoy, Spock, and I will climb up through a window out back onto the second floor of the house. From there we'll search the rooms for anything or anyone," he continued.

"Sounds good enough for me, Captain," Scotty said.

"I'm all for it." Newkirk commented.

"Count me in, buddy!" Carter cheered.

"Alright," Kirk said. "We leave tomorrow night right after evening roll call."

* * *

The next day went by uneventfully. Klink, Burkhalter, and Hochstetter were still frustrated with their lost piece of evidence and the little to no findings on where Hogan's kidnappers had taken him off to.

As soon as evening roll call had finished, Hogan's men wearing their blacks and the Starfleet officers in their disguises, successfully snuck out of camp and headed west towards the farmhouse they had gone to the previous night. They started walking slower and became more alert heading closer to the house. When they finally got to the front door, Captain Kirk turned around to look at the group one more time before splitting up into their smaller divisions.

"Before we split, I wanna go over this one more time. Kinch, you and Carter are gonna go around out back and come through the back door. Check every part of the house back there," he said.

"Got'cha, boss," Carter said.

Newkirk rolled his eyes.

"Blimey," he muttered.

"Scotty, you stay here with LeBeau and Newkirk and go through the front. Your jobs are to check everything Kinch and Carter don't cover." Kirk continued.

"Aye, sir. It'll be done." Scotty replied.

The captain nodded.

"Alright, good luck to everyone." He turned to Spock and McCoy. "Spock, Bones, let's go."

Spock and McCoy followed Kirk to one side of the house, and Kinch and Carter walked to the back of the house to enter in. It left just Scotty, LeBeau, and Newkirk standing in front of the door to enter.

The Englishman looked inside the windows of the home and the door to check and see for anyone inside. The main floor was empty and vacant of any inhabitants.

"There's no one in there. They must have gone upstairs or out into town," Newkirk said softly.

LeBeau hesitated to reach for the doorknob, then immediately backed away, as if it burned to touch the piece of metal.

"You open it, Pierre." He quivered.

"You think I'm opening that ruddy piece of wood, you're out of your bloody mind," Newkirk remarked.

"Someone's gotta open the door!"

"Well, why does it gotta be me? You chicken or something?"

"Yes!"

Scotty sighed heavily and opened the door without hesitation.

"There. Can we go in now without having a meltdown?" He asked, slightly irritated.

LeBeau and Newkirk fell silent and followed the Scotsman inside to the living room.

* * *

Kinch opened the back door, and both he and Carter tip-toed silently into the farmhouse. Kinch turned around and held a finger to his lips. Carter nodded, receiving the message, and continued to walk around in the kitchen that was connected to the dining room. They could see Scotty, LeBeau, and Newkirk rummaging through desk drawers, other rooms in front, and closets. Both sergeants began their search of the kitchen, hoping to find a sign that the Romulans or their colonel were currently occupying the household. The young sergeant walked over to the dining room table and started searching through papers and letters, finding nothing of interest. He turned to Kinch, seeing he was currently looking through cabinets in the kitchen.

"You find anything, Kinch?" Carter whispered.

"Nothing more than a bunch of silverware, cups, and cleaning supplies. What about you?" The staff sergeant asked, just as softly.

Carter sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing more than a bunch of letters and documents. Nothing too special about 'em," the young sergeant answered sadly.

"Come on. Let's go check out the garage."

Carter followed Kinch across the dining room and walked into the garage from the entrance way connected to the end of the house.

* * *

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy walked to the side of the house and looked up at how far the window was. It was closed, making their jobs that much harder.

Kirk flipped open his communicator.

"Kirk to Enterprise, come in, Enterprise," he said.

" _Lieutenant Sulu here, Captain_ ," the helmsman answered.

"Mr. Sulu, lock down on our coordinates and beam us inside the farmhouse we're standing by. We need to get up onto the second floor."

" _Aye, sir. Stand by_."

"Kirk out."

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy stayed still, as the transporter took them and made them rematerialize inside the farmhouse on the second floor in a small hallway.

"Bones, check the bathroom over there," Kirk said, pointing behind them.

"Yes, Jim," McCoy said, and walked off to the bathroom. He was still limping a bit, but it was less noticeable now.

"Spock, check those two rooms alongside the wall. I'm gonna check that linen closet for anything." The captain gestured with his phaser in front of him towards the small door across the hall.

"Yes, Captain," Spock answered.

Kirk walked off to the linen closet, leaving the Vulcan to himself. Spock made his way down the long hallway and got to the first door on the left of him. He put his hand on the doorknob and twisted it, hearing a 'click'. It was unlocked. He opened it with his phaser out and ready to fire in immediate danger. He first scanned to the far left of the room and stopped in the middle, spotting the bed with a man lying lifeless before him. He was pale, chained to the bed, and had dark eyelids. It was Colonel Hogan.

Spock took a few steps forward and observed him a little more. He saw his chest rising and falling faintly. He was alive, but just barely.

"Colonel Hogan," he softly said.

No answer.

"Colonel,"

Hogan did not answer.

"Captain," Spock called for.

Kirk soon was at the Vulcan's side.

"What is it, Spock?" He asked.

The Vulcan simply pointed at the body on the bed. Kirk turned and stared at the man before him. Hogan was sick... _very_ sick. Dr. McCoy was an absolute must at the moment. The Army Air Corps. colonel looked like he was in critical condition.

"Bones," the captain cried.

McCoy hurried to them as fast as possible. He hurried to the other side of Spock.

"What is it, Jim?" He asked. He did not often hear Kirk's voice sound a little panicky. He knew something was not right immediately and that whatever it was would not be good.

"Bones, look," was all the captain could say.

McCoy raised an eyebrow, then turned to what Kirk and Spock were staring at. His eyes nearly fell out of his head seeing Hogan in such condition.

"My God," he finally was able to say. "What in blazes did they do to you?"

The old doctor started to approach Hogan, when a gruff voice stopped him.

"Don't go any further towards him," it said.

The three Starfleet officers turned to see three Romulans. The tallest one, Sarik, was standing in the middle with his arms crossed, while Jaron and Talar had their disruptor pistols pointed at them.

"I assume you must be Commander Sarik," Kirk replied, staring coldly at the Romulans.

"Who are you three?" Talar ordered.

"I can sense you are not with the Gestapo," Sarik added.

"I am Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. You have been charged with the violation of the Prime Directive, unauthorized time traveling, and kidnapping a commanding officer from the United States Army Air Corps. Also the charges of severely abusing this man. He is an asset to the success of this war," Kirk hissed.

"Do you realize this man is responsible for the death of one of my men, Captain?!" Sarik growled.

Kirk pulled out his phaser and pointed back at the Romulans. Spock was steady and silent, ready to fire if necessary.

"Bones, continue with Colonel Hogan," Kirk ordered.

"Jim," McCoy was cut off.

"That's an order, Bones!"

The Starfleet medic nodded and walked towards Hogan's lifeless form on the bed. He put a hand gently on Hogan's shoulder and felt nothing but bone.

"Colonel...Colonel Hogan...can you hear me?"

Hogan did not answer. He had as much life to him as a corpse.

McCoy took out his tricorder and scanned Hogan's life readings quickly. They were low... _dangerously_ low. He was close to crashing. He put his tricorder aside, stood up, and pressed his hands on Hogan's chest and began giving compressions. His heart rate was weak and unsteady.

"Jim, I need to get him back to Stalag 13, _now_! He's on the verge of suffering from cardiac arrest," McCoy cried, with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Captain! What's goin' on up there?" Scotty asked, worried.

"Scotty, keep Hogan's men down there!" Kirk replied harshly.

"Captain, I..."

"Scotty, I said don't let them come up here!"

"Aye, sir."

The Starfleet captain returned his attention to the Romulans before him.

"Let Colonel Hogan go," he demanded.

Dr. McCoy took his phaser out quickly and burned the chains off of Hogan's wrists and ankles, then returned to chest compressions.

"Come on, Hogan! Don't quit on me, Colonel! Not now!" Dr. McCoy begged. Sweat was beading on his face from stress.

Jaron was about to fire his phaser at McCoy, but Kirk was quicker and fired first. The Romulan collapsed to the ground in a heap. Talar turned to fire at the captain next, when Spock turned quickly on his feet and shot him instead. He too, collapsed to the ground unconscious. Kirk had the honors of firing at Sarik. The Romulan commander started making a run for it, but soon collapsed to the ground and joined his fellow comrades.

"Come _on_ , Hogan!" McCoy pleaded.

"Spock, help Dr. McCoy with Colonel Hogan," Kirk demanded.

"Yes, Captain."

Spock made his way over to the CMO and Hogan, leaving the captain by himself. He flipped open his communicator calling the Enterprise.

"Kirk to Enterprise," he said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

" _Mr. Sulu here, Captain_ ," the voice responding said.

"Mr. Sulu, beam up three Romulan soldiers onto the Enterprise. Have security standing by. I want all three of them locked up in the brig with as many guards as possible. We will transport them to the nearest Star Base for violating Federation laws as soon as we finish our assignment here and return to our normal time era."

" _Aye, Captain_."

"Kirk out."

He closed his communicator and watched the three Romulan bodies on the ground shimmer and dematerialize from the scene.

Once they had vanished and been transported onto the Enterprise, Kirk turned to find Spock looking over McCoy, who again was scanning Hogan. The old doctor sighed with relief and wiped sweat from his forehead.

"He's stable, but he's _gotta_ get back to Stalag 13." McCoy reported to his commanding officer.

"Then we will do just that. Spock, carry him. And be gentle. We don't know what kind of condition he's in," Kirk said.

"Yes, Captain," Spock said, and gently picked up the American colonel in his arms. The man was as light as a feather and very boney to the point his clothes were loose and threatened to fall off of him.

Kirk, Spock carrying Hogan, and McCoy hurried down the stairs, gathered the rest of their crew, and as quickly as possible, made a run for Stalag 13


	13. Chapter 13: Medical Emergency

**Chapter 13: Medical Emergency:**

The eight men hurried back and stopped near the tree stump.

"Scotty, take Hogan's men back through the tunnel. Spock and Dr. McCoy will come with me to our car and drive into Stalag 13 with the colonel," Kirk spoke, heaving hard from running.

"Aye, sir," Scotty said.

The other men followed the Scotsman, but Carter stopped and turned to look at Kirk with wet eyes and a quivering lip.

"Dr. McCoy's gonna do everything he can for him, Carter," the captain promised.

The young man nodded and ran off to catch up with the others.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy hurried to the car Scotty generated and made a quick drive for Stalag 13.

* * *

"What do you mean 'you found nothing'?!" Klink spat.

Corporal Langenscheidt was standing before the old kommandant, shaking before his commanding officer's eyes. He did not like it one bit when Klink was angry. He had just returned with his patrol group looking for Hogan and/or his kidnappers.

" _Herr Kommandant_ , I could not find a single thing in the area. I must have had my men look a hundred times for any sort of sign for Colonel Hogan. There was simply nothing there!" Langenscheidt trembled.

"You will look another hundred times if it means finding something!" Hochstetter snapped.

" _Jawohl, Herr Major_ ," Langenscheidt said, shaky.

"Major, control yourself. It is not Corporal Langenscheidt's fault for not finding any clues as to where Hogan has been taken off to!" Burkhalter hissed.

The door to Klink's office opened, and Kirk came tumbling in from running so quickly.

"I need a camp medic, now!" He gasped.

"Major Kirchner, come in!" Klink replied. _Why did more Gestapo have to show up_ , he wondered.

"Kommandant...Colonel Hogan...he's hurt...very sick…" Kirk had to stop talking to catch his breath.

"You found Colonel Hogan?!"

"Where did you find him, Major?" Burkhalter asked.

"I'll tell you when Colonel Hogan is in the infirmary! I need a camp medic though, and now!" Kirk pleaded.

"Corporal Langenscheidt, help Major Kirchner's men in moving Hogan to the infirmary. Send someone to fetch Sergeant Wilson in barracks twelve at once," Klink ordered.

" _Jawohl, Herr Kommandant_!"

Langenscheidt hurried out of the office to follow his orders, leaving Kirk alone with the three German officers, when Spock entered.

"Sergeant, why aren't you with Colonel Hogan?" Kirk asked in a harsh tone.

"Major, when Corporal Langenscheidt came and took over to help with Colonel Hogan, I felt a need to come into the Kommandantur's and explain what happened to both the kommandant and the general." Spock replied calmly. His arms were clasped behind his back.

"Fair enough. Was Dr. Meckler having problems with Colonel Hogan when you left?"

"Colonel Hogan has remained stable as far as I know, Major."

"You will tell me where you found Colonel Hogan, and you will tell me _immediately_!" Hochstetter demanded.

"In a farmhouse about seven miles west of here. We found him in a bedroom near death. He is currently in critical condition according to Dr. Meckler," Kirk answered.

"Did you happen to find out who his captors were, Major?" Burkhalter asked.

"A group of Italians, General."

" _Italians_!" All Germans gasped.

"But what do the Italians want with Hogan?" Klink asked.

"Where are these Italians now?" Hochstetter questioned.

"Dead," Kirk answered, with a serious face.

"You killed them?!" Hochstetter asked, raising his voice.

"It was the most logical decision, Major, considering these men were causing Colonel Hogan great harm," Spock said.

"How will I interrogate these men now that you have killed them?!"

Spock raised an eyebrow. He was stunned to see how illogical Hochstetter's statement was.

"Major, one can not question the dead. It is physically and mentally not capable of happening."

"That's enough, Sergeant," Kirk ordered.

"Yes, Major," Spock said.

"BAH!" Hochstetter yelled, and stormed out of Klink's office to his staff car, followed by his two men.

"If you would excuse my sergeant and me, Kommandant, I would like to see how Dr. Meckler's doing in the infirmary with your camp's medic," Kirk said.

"Of course, Major Kirchner. My stalag is _your_ stalag," Klink spoke, smiling like an idiot.

Kirk nodded with no expression on his face and left the Kommandantur with Spock behind him.

Klink turned to Burkhalter and stared at him, still stunned by what he had just heard.

"Italians...what would the Italians want with Colonel Hogan?" He asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"I don't know, Klink. It does seem rather suspicious, wouldn't you think?" Burkhalter questioned.

"Well, there was that Major Bonacelli." He began thinking to himself. (1)

"The traitor?"

"You don't suppose he could have gone back to our side, do you?"

"Klink, the chances of that happening are as likely as of your chance of a promotion."

The kommandant was about to say something, then sulked and frowned.

"Yes, _Herr General_ ," he said sadly.

* * *

When Kirk and Spock entered the infirmary, Scotty and Hogan's men were sitting on either vacant cots or chairs in the room. Scotty was the only one that was sitting in a chair: the one behind camp medic, Sergeant Joe Wilson's desk. There was a curtain pulled that blocked off the back half of the infirmary. Both Spock and Kirk assumed that one of the beds was holding Hogan, with McCoy and Wilson caring for their very ill patient.

"How is he, Scotty?" Kirk asked, walking to his CEO. Spock followed suit.

"I haven't heard anything from either Dr. McCoy or Sergeant Wilson, Captain, since they brought in Colonel Hogan," the chief engineer answered sadly.

Kirk turned around to see all of Hogan's men sitting or pacing. Worry was completely drawn on their faces. They looked uneasy and fighting back from panicking. The Starfleet captain gave them all a sympathetic look.

"He's in good hands, gentlemen," was all he said. He did not think anything else would do much help. Letting them know he was praying for them was the least he could do. He could not imagine how he would feel if Hogan did not pull through. The Federation would be turned into a nightmare of dictatorship, Hogan's men would lose their commanding officer, their friend...he would never be able to tell Hogan how he had admired him from the beginning. He had been one of the reasons he wanted to go into commanding his own ship in the first place. He wanted to be at the top just like his hero was.

"He was so pale," LeBeau whimpered.

Carter sniffled and wiped tears from his eyes.

"God, I could really use a cigarette right now," Newkirk grumbled.

"He's gonna be alright, guys...he's just _gotta_ be." Carter pleaded.

"Gentlemen, Dr. McCoy and Sergeant Wilson will do all that's possible to treat and make Colonel Hogan in healthy condition again. There is a chance of him pulling through, as you would put it," Spock said.

All of Hogan's men gently nodded.

McCoy came out from behind the curtains wearing a lab coat and a scrubs uniform underneath.

"Jim," he softly said.

Kirk looked over and walked towards his best friend. McCoy took him over slightly to the left of the room to speak with him quietly.

"How is he, Bones?" Kirk asked.

"Sergeant Wilson is performing surgery on the internal bleeding in Colonel Hogan's stomach. He has weak veins from malnutrition. Two big ones in his abdomen have broke open. One from being too worn out from illness and one from what looked like a punch to the gut," the doctor said softly.

"Is that all?"

"Jim," McCoy stopped, gathering his thoughts. "The man has edema and a blood clot adding pressure on his brain."

"What's that, Bones?" Kirk asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Cerebral edema. It's water fluid causing too much pressure on the brain. Both are caused from blunt force to the skull. I presume Colonel Hogan was hit in the head by the back of a Romulan disruptor pistol and a _kelkana_."

A _kelkana_ was a Romulan weapon used to strike someone over the head with to either knock them unconscious, or kill them by the extreme amount of force. It was a slim and slender black stick made from a metal rod connected to a chain of metal at one end that made a loop for a way of carrying the weapon around a Romulan's wrist or held in their hand. (2)

"Which means what, Bones?"

"He needs a severe operation, Jim. It could take over several hours to perform."

"What's his outcome?"

McCoy sighed.

"It's not good, Jim. The man hasn't regained consciousness since finding him in that farmhouse. His body has been starved from nutrients it's needed to maintain homeostasis. On top of that, he's lost a significant amount of weight from not having enough water. I assume the Romulans starved him from hydration, which would be the cause of his dry and clammy skin."

"Bones, will the man live or die? Answer the question."

McCoy softly shook his head.

"I don't know...his chances do not look good as of now. I'll see where his condition is after the operations have been performed. I'll need the ship to beam down quite a bit of equipment in order to care for Colonel Hogan."

Kirk sighed sadly. It was not what he wanted to hear from his friend.

"Alright, Bones," he said.

The young captain turned on his boot towards the others, when McCoy stopped him.

"Jim,"

Kirk turned around.

He saw the older man give a hefty sigh.

"Don't tell Hogan's men what I just told you. I'd prefer to tell them myself once the operations are done."

Kirk nodded and turned back to walk to the front. McCoy just as quickly disappeared behind the curtains to continue working on his patient.

* * *

It was around 3AM and still no one had heard anything from either Wilson or McCoy. Hogan's men had fallen asleep from mere exhaustion. Spock was sitting in Wilson's chair watching Kirk and Scotty pace.

"What's taking them so long? It's been what, nine hours now?" The captain remarked softly.

"Six hours, twenty three minutes, 42.67 seconds," Spock corrected.

"Thank yah, Mr. Spock," Scotty grumbled.

"My point is it's been a long time since I last heard from Bones," Kirk said. He ran his hands down his tired face. He was wondering what was taking McCoy so long with Hogan. He kept thinking the same worse case scenario in his mind over and over again. It made him keep praying to God that he was wrong and that Hogan would pull through.

"Captain, your pacing will not help this process go by any faster than it already has," the Vulcan said.

"Spock, if I just sit here, I'm gonna go crazy...not that I haven't already." Kirk replied, exhausted. What in the world was taking Dr. McCoy so long?

"How much longer are we gonna have to just _sit_ here?" Scotty cried softly.

As if on cue, McCoy and Wilson came out from the curtains. Both men looked drained and well beyond their years. Their expressions were grim.

Seeing the look on both their faces, Kirk's eyes widened and began to faintly shake his head.

"Bones...don't," he did not get a chance to finish.

"He's alive, Jim...for now," McCoy answered softly, holding up a hand.

"What do yah mean 'for now', Doctor?" Scotty asked.

"As of now, Colonel Hogan's medical condition is quite serious. His stomach operation was about two hours long and the one Dr. McCoy performed on his brain took another four," Wilson began. "He's currently unconscious and hooked up to an IV. We're trying to get into him as much food and liquids as possible to get that weight back on."

"What's his prognosis, Bones? Will he live?" Kirk asked.

"I don't know, Jim...he's in pretty bad condition, right now. Sergeant Wilson and I are gonna alternate every three hours with monitoring him. He almost crashed again during his stomach operation," Dr. McCoy answered softly.

Scotty hung his head and shook it.

"The poor man," he muttered.

"Bones...Sergeant Wilson," Kirk started. "...tell them gently. I don't want this to be any harder on them than it's already gonna be."

McCoy and Wilson nodded gently.

"I'll be as gentle as I can, Jim," the Starfleet doctor answered genuinely.

"Can I see him?" Kirk asked.

McCoy stepped aside and gestured for Kirk to pass by.

The young captain walked into the curtains and looked over to his left to a man pale as the sheets on his bed. He was wearing a white gown with dark blue diamonds on it covered up with sheets and a blue blanket. His right hand had an IV in it and was placed on top of his belly, which was now swollen due to surgery. His eyelids were still dark and was as sickly looking as he had been when found at the farmhouse.

Kirk shook his head sadly and sat down gently beside Hogan's legs. He looked at the man before him. The man he looked up to. The man who he admired the most in life. His hero...would he even get the chance to speak to him? Would he wake up to allow him to tell him he was his inspiration in life? He kept praying that it would still happen, even if it were just for a moment. He sighed.

"Colonel Hogan...I don't know if you can hear me...but this is Captain James Kirk of the USS Vulcan. You've gotta wake up, Colonel...you have four men here who miss you, and are worried sick about you...besides my own crew, I don't think I've ever seen men so loyal to their commanding officer and look up to him so much. You amaze them, Colonel Hogan...please come back to them. They love you with all their being, sir."

"Jim," a soft voice from behind him spoke.

Kirk turned to face whom it was and saw McCoy standing there.

"Why don't you let Hogan's men spend some time with him," the doctor suggested.

The captain nodded, stood, and walked over to McCoy before leaving.

"Bones," he was cut off.

"I've done everything I can for him, Jim...he's in God's hands now."

Kirk nodded and left the area.

Dr. McCoy looked out of the curtains and nodded to Hogan's men, permitting them in. Carter, LeBeau, Newkirk, and Kinch walked in and gasped at what they saw.

"My God," Kinch said faintly.

Carter's lip trembled and tears fell down his cheeks.

"Colonel." He whimpered.

"What the bloody hell did those blokes do to you, Gov'nor?" Newkirk muttered under his breath.

LeBeau could only stare. He did not know what to do.

McCoy walked out to his friends and let Hogan's men have some privacy.

Newkirk sat down by Hogan's legs, Carter sat down in the chair, LeBeau stood in front of Newkirk, and Kinch stood behind Carter with his hands on the young sergeant's shoulders for comfort.

"Hey, Gov'nor...it's me, sir...Newkirk," the Englishman said softly.

"I'm here, too, Colonel." Kinch added.

" _Moi trois, mon Colonel_ ," LeBeau softly said.

"Hi, Colonel...it's Carter, sir." He trembled. He ran his fingers gently down Hogan's arm. He shuddered feeling how thin his commanding officer was. Nothing but skin and bones was left of him.

"Gov'nor...you keep fighting, sir, you hear me? You're not gonna die on us now, sir." Newkirk pleaded, his voice breaking.

"We're not leaving your side for one moment, Colonel," Kinch softly said.

"You gotta come back to us, _mon Colonel_. You can do it, _mon ami_. You're the strongest man I know alive," LeBeau spoke.

Carter put a gentle hand on Hogan's shoulder and let more tears fall, as he shuddered fighting back from breaking down. He let out a small whimper.

Kinch rubbed the young man's shoulders gently.

"He's gonna be alright, Carter. I promise," he said, soothing his friend.

"He's gotta be, Kinch...I don't know if I'll bloody survive if he doesn't," Newkirk answered softly.

* * *

(1) Major ( _Maggiore_ in Italian) Luigi Bonacelli appeared in two episodes of 'Hogan's Heroes': "The Pizza Parlor" and "The Return of Major Bonacelli". He was played by actors Hans Conried and Vito Scotti.

(2) A _kelkana_ is a Romulan weapon I made up myself. I could not find any type of weapon similar to it that is known in the 'Star Trek' fandom, so I created one to fit the story's need.


	14. Chapter 14: Praying and Hoping

**Chapter 14: Praying and Hoping:**

Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy 'left' Stalag 13 around 4AM and came back into the infirmary from the tunnel entrance. They slept in the back room, in order to hide from Klink if he walked in during the night with or without Burkhalter or someone else. Scotty had escorted Hogan's men back to barracks two around that same time.

Morning soon came and so did roll call. Klink would have let Newkirk, Kinch, Carter, and LeBeau sleep in due to being up so late last night with Hogan, but with Burkhalter there, he did not bother putting up an argument with his superior officer. The Kommandant was just as drained as they were. He did not fall asleep until late the night before. He spent most of his time staring up at the ceiling, worried sick about Hogan. He prayed that he would make it through, after receiving the report from Wilson on his current condition.

After roll call had ended, and Burkhalter had dismissed the prisoners and Klink had given an update on Hogan, Scotty walked towards the infirmary to see how Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were doing. Both McCoy and Wilson were caring for Hogan, while Kirk and Spock were up front talking with one another regarding something.

"How is he, Captain?" Scotty asked, concerned. He knew how scared Hogan's men were. He had heard Carter crying softly while falling asleep. Newkirk was sitting up at the table in his nightgown smoking a cigarette talking with Kinch, while LeBeau was shifting time and time again in his bunk, trying to find a comfy position to sleep in. However, his thoughts and concerns kept waking him up. The rest of the men in barracks two spent the night tossing and turning in their beds, or could not sleep and shuffled across the floor trying to make themselves do so. No one could sleep. No one _wanted_ to sleep. Only the thoughts and fears for their commanding officer ran through their minds, keeping them unease.

Hearing the Scotsman, Kirk and Spock looked up.

"Scotty, did you sleep alright, last night?" The captain asked.

The engineer scoffed.

"On _those_ mattresses, Captain? I'd sleep better on the engineering room floor than one of those...how's Colonel Hogan, sir?"

"I don't know. Dr. McCoy and Sergeant Wilson are checking him out as we speak," Kirk answered.

Scotty shook his head and sighed.

"He's gotta be alright, sir...Hogan's men are a wreck with him like this."

"I know, Scotty...Dr. McCoy and Sergeant Wilson are doing everything possible for him."

"Has he woken up yet, sir?"

Kirk sadly shook his head 'no'.

"The longer he stays like that, the more Bones begins to worry."

Scotty looked over at Hogan's lifeless form, took a few steps closer to his bedside, then let out a worried breath.

"Come on, Colonel...yah gotta wake up, lad," he pleaded softly.

McCoy finished examining Hogan and left Wilson to finish the rest and visit a little with his colonel. The Starfleet doctor made his way towards his friends.

Kirk and Spock rose to their feet.

"How's he doing, Bones?" The captain asked.

"He's stable...that's the main thing," McCoy answered.

"Is he awake yet?"

McCoy shook his head.

"He's still unconscious."

"How long has he been unconscious now?" Kirk asked

"About a little over nine hours, I think."

"What is taking so long for the colonel to wake up?"

"The man has serious brain trauma, Jim. It could be irreversible."

"Irreversible! Yah mean... _fatal_?" Scotty gasped.

"I wish it _didn't_ mean that, Scotty. I won't know anything for another 72 hours, though," McCoy said.

"Couldn't we transport him up to the ship and treat him there?" Kirk asked.

"Are you crazy, Jim? In _his_ condition? You could _kill_ the man! On top of that, what in blazes do I tell him if he _does_ wake up?!"

Kirk held up his hands.

"Just a suggestion, Bones," was all he said.

McCoy sighed sadly.

"Besides," he said. "I can't do much more for him up there even _with_ our technological advances. You'd think after so many centuries of trial and error they would've figured out a way to treat an injured brain by now."

"The brain is a rather complex organ, Doctor," Spock said.

"Couldn't have been a bullet wound to the heart...I can treat _that_ more than I can treat _these_ injuries."

"You're doing everything you can, Bones. It's not your fault." Kirk tried comforting his friend.

"I've _done_ everything I can for him, Jim...I told you it's not up to me...it's up to Colonel Hogan now whether he makes it through or not."

"Yer a good doctor, Dr. McCoy. If yah say 'yah've done everything yah can', then everything possible's been done," Scotty said.

McCoy nodded sadly.

"Thanks, Scotty...I still feel horrid." The doctor answered softly. He turned around and looked to the back of the infirmary. "Sometimes...being a doctor...you feel so _useless_!" He hissed and walked off.

"Bones…" Kirk was stopped by Spock, as he began walking towards his friend.

"Captain," the Vulcan said.

Kirk turned to look at Spock.

"I believe Dr. McCoy wishes to be alone at this moment."

"It's not his fault if Colonel Hogan dies, surely he knows that."

"As irrational of a thought as it is, Captain, I've noticed during times of difficulty in a human's life that they have the need to blame someone in the wrong. Because he is a doctor and can do no more for Colonel Hogan's health, he has decided to blame himself for his inability to do more to try and save the colonel."

"The only one to blame are the Romulans that did this to him. What they did was brutal!"

"Mr. Sulu has already confirmed with me that the Romulans will be punished to the highest extent, Captain."

"I'd sure like to get me hands on 'em, sir...I tell yah if Colonel Hogan doesn't pull through, they'll have hell to pay," Scotty snarled. Just thinking of what the Romulans had done to such a wonderful man as Hogan made his blood boil in his veins.

Kirk walked over to Hogan's bed and looked at the camp medic, who was leaning over the colonel's body just watching him. He looked like that if he were to look away for one moment; the American officer would stop breathing. Finally noticing the captain, he looked up at him with an expressionless look to his face. Something that the Starfleet officer was all too familiar with, knowing Spock.

"How is he...Joe, is it?" Kirk asked.

Wilson nodded softly.

"About the same. He's unresponsive to anything I say or do, Captain," he replied.

"May I sit with him?"

Wilson nodded and rubbed his face with his hands.

"I could use a break, anyways. Let me know if something happens with him."

Kirk nodded and was soon left alone with Hogan. To the Starfleet officer, it looked like Hogan was getting some weight back on. He was still a bit thinner from the effects of dehydration, but it was a start to things. Besides that, he looked about the same. He had a red rubber tube coming out from his abdomen to remove bacterial invaders inside his wound. The tube came out from underneath the blanket and lay down on Hogan's left side.

The captain was frustrated. He wanted Hogan moved on to the ship, but it just could not be done. For starters, McCoy was right. Moving the American colonel could cause more harm to his current condition then it was already. The other thing was if their transporter beam was spotted by one of the prisoners, Wilson, or any Luftwaffe soldiers, their cover would be blown. And Lord knows what would happen if the Gestapo got involved with interrogating them. Who knows what those men would do to them. He had read about what the Gestapo did to their prisoners and how many, if not most, of them died under their interrogation methods. But reading about it was one thing; _experiencing_ it was another. Knowing the risk of something happening to his men under his command and all the men under Hogan's command if caught, the captain knew the only choice was to keep Hogan on ground.

"Just me again, Colonel," Kirk said. "You're being cared for by two very well trained medics. They're doing everything possible to help you, sir."

He was about to say something else, when he felt like someone was behind him. Kirk turned around to see Carter standing there, waiting patiently.

"Carter, is there something I can do for you?" The captain asked, rising from his chair.

"No, it's alright, Captain Kirk. I can wait until you're done," Carter quickly replied. He felt guilty for making the man rush his visit with Hogan.

Kirk smiled.

"No, I'm done, Sergeant. Besides, I think he'd like to hear your voice."

"You think he can hear us?"

"I like to believe so. It's proven that talking to someone unconscious heightens their chances of waking up."

"Really?"

Kirk gestured to the chair besides Hogan's bed.

Carter sat down in the chair, and Kirk walked off, but stayed within hearing range. He turned and watched the man talk to Hogan.

The young sergeant gently patted Hogan's arm and sat there for a long while just watching him. He watched his commanding officer breathe in and out slowly and gently. He was so still and lifeless. Carter was not used to seeing Hogan in this condition. His commanding officer was always moving, making witty comments, laughing, talking, helping other people with their problems. The only time Hogan was quiet was when he was thinking about something, working on paperwork, reading, or sleeping. Now he was silent, immobile, and unresponsive. He missed talking to Hogan. He always knew what to say to make him feel better, gave him good advice in times of need...and he really needed Hogan's advice now.

"Hi, Colonel...it's Carter, sir. Just me right here for the moment. Kinda just wanted to talk to you by myself."

Spock and Scotty walked over to Kirk, who quickly looked at them, then back at Hogan and Carter.

"Colonel...I really miss you, sir...I could really use your advice, now. Camp's just not the same without you, Sir...you gotta wake up, Colonel. You're my best friend...you're _everyone's_ best friend...sir, I don't think I've ever told anyone else this, but...Colonel, you're like a father to me...and I can't lose my dad, Colonel…" Carter started to choke up. He swallowed a knot, fought back from crying, and continued as much as he could. "Please come back, Colonel...please come back to us."

McCoy watched from the entrance at the back of the infirmary, and looked at the young man with sympathy. He wanted nothing more than to find some way to cure Hogan and wake him up. Sadly, he knew only time would tell. He let out a sigh and turned to look at Kirk, Spock, and Scotty.

"Aw, Captain," Scotty sniffled. "He's gotta come outta it, sir."

"Only he can do that, Scotty...only he can do that," Kirk softly said.

The four Starfleet officers and Wilson watched the exchange between Carter and Hogan in silence, empathizing with the young sergeant's fear and grief. They all had one common wish between them: for Colonel Robert Hogan to wake up and come back to them again.

* * *

"Klink, are you saying that the death of those three Italians was a good thing?" Hochstetter questioned. The Gestapo officer had returned with his two men to continue the investigation of Hogan's kidnapping and apparent brutal beatings.

Burkhalter sat in the chair underneath Hitler's portrait, watching and waiting for the moment he would either need to settle things in his own way, or put things in his own hands.

"Major Hochstetter, huh...yes," Klink softly answered.

"Those men were my prisoners! How am I supposed to conduct an interrogation with them dead?!" Hochstetter hollered.

"Major Hochstetter, if those men kidnapped Colonel Hogan, who _knows_ who they would've come after next," The kommandant replied.

"What do you mean 'who would've they come after next'?"

"Well, Major, if they started with Colonel Hogan as a victim, what if they would have come after _me_ next?"

"It would've been a _blessing_ , Klink!"

"No, Major," Burkhalter said, rising to his feet. "For once in his life...Klink has said something... _intellectual_." The general felt either all of humanity was beginning to crumble, or he was finally going crazy from all of Klink's stupidity.

"What do you mean, General?" Hochstetter snarled.

"Major, if these Italians had successfully kidnapped Colonel Hogan undetected by any of Klink's guards, not that it wouldn't surprise me," Burkhalter began, turning to glare at Klink. It only made the kommandant slouch down in his chair withering away from fear. "Perhaps they _would_ have gone after Klink."

"What would have been a problem with that?" Hochstetter asked, confused.

"Major, if they kidnapped Klink and had been successful, next they would have come after you, then me, and possibly lead them all the way up to the Fuhrer _himself_."

"The _Fuhrer_?!"

"Correct, Major. Would you prefer three dead Italians with no risk of this happening again, or would you prefer three _living_ Italians, knowing there was a chance of being beaten and possibly on the verge of death like Colonel Hogan is currently?"

"You think the Italians would have gone so far as to kidnapping the Fuhrer, _Herr General_?" Klink gasped. He had not thought _that_ far ahead. He assumed they would stop at Burkhalter, possibly some more Gestapo officers if necessary. Never would he have thought about them attempting and succeeding at kidnapping Adolf Hitler.

"I _know_ they would have. I have seen it happen many times before in the Luftwaffe. They start with the lowest ranking and make their way to the top gradually. By the time others realize what's happening, it's too late to do anything regarding it." Burkhalter replied.

" _Incredible_!"

Hochstetter nodded, rubbing his chin with his fingers.

"It would make sense, General," Hochstetter said to himself. "But I still needed those prisoners for interrogation to put into Gestapo records!"

"Why not just put into the records that three men from the Gestapo found the Italians and shot them dead in self defense?" Klink suggested.

Both Burkhalter and Hochstetter turned to face Klink this time. There eyes were bugging out of their heads, and their faces gone pale.

The German colonel was beginning to grow uncomfortable with the silence and finally had to say something.

"What?!"

Hochstetter turned back to face Burkhalter, still in what seemed to be shock from Klink's statement.

"General, am I beginning to go crazy, or did Klink just say another smart thing?" The short Gestapo officer questioned.

"If you're going crazy, Major...then I'm afraid I am going crazy as well," Burkhalter replied, just as surprised.

"Perhaps Klink isn't as stupid as we think he is."

Klink blushed and starting chuckling.

"Well, Major Hochstetter, as much as I appreciate the compliment, it is after all the Gestapo who…"

"And it didn't last long," Burkhalter said, seeing the old Klink returning.

The Gestapo major turned to look at the German colonel and shook his head.

"I _knew_ it was too good to be true," Hochstetter commented.

Klink let out a breath of air and frowned.


	15. Chapter 15: Stirred, Not Shaken

**Chapter 15: Stirred, Not Shaken:**

Four days went by since Hogan had come back to camp. He had still remained unconscious since then. It was beginning to influence McCoy that the colonel would never regain consciousness. The doctor would never get to talk to the man and figure out why he was so special to his men, his friends. Wilson, Kirk, and Scotty were beginning to grow doubtful, too. They had broken the news gently to Kinch the night before that Hogan may not ever wake up, who then broke it gently to Newkirk, LeBeau, Carter, and the rest of the barracks. Both Carter and LeBeau cried, Newkirk had to leave to take an evening stroll around camp to clear his head, and the rest of the men fell dead silent in sorrow.

Besides still being unconscious, Hogan seemed to be getting better. His skin color had returned almost back to normal, his eyelids were no longer dark, and had gained a lot of weight back thanks to McCoy for basically feeding him every three hours like an infant through a tube. The tube in his belly had been removed, but the belly was still swollen, which was normal after a major stomach operation.

It was around mid morning, and Kirk and Spock had gone down in the tunnels to explore what more there was to the underground operation with their guide, Olsen from barracks two. Carter, Kinch, LeBeau, and Newkirk were outside trying to get their minds to forget about the high possibility of never being able to see or talk to Hogan again. Wilson had gone to the back of the infirmary to check inventory, which just left the Starfleet medic to himself in the main area.

McCoy was changing the sheets of a cot, when he heard a soft grunt noise. The doctor lifted his head from what he was doing and raised an eyebrow, curious as to whether he was just imagining things, or he had actually heard someone grunt. He shrugged his shoulders, thinking it was just his imagination and went back to straightening out the bed sheets, when he heard soft moaning. He slowly raised his head up and looked over at Hogan. McCoy hurried his way to the colonel and leaned over the man. He gently put a hand on his left shoulder and shook it just barely.

"Colonel...Colonel Hogan...can you hear me, Colonel?" McCoy pleaded. _Please let this man live_ , he thought to himself.

Hogan fluttered his eyes a few times before opening them all the way. He lay there staring at the ceiling for a moment before turning his head to the left and seeing a man, assumingly a doctor, whom he'd never seen before. He simply just looked at him, wondering to himself if he had ever seen the man before in his life and just could not remember.

McCoy gave a small smile at his patient. He was over the moon to see he had woken up. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to report to Hogan's men that their commanding officer was never coming back.

"Well," McCoy said. "Looks like you're gonna make it through. I was worried there for a moment."

Hogan swallowed a knot before speaking.

"Who are you?" He softly asked.

"Dr. Leonard McCoy, Colonel. I've been taking care of you for a while, now."

"Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary back at Stalag 13. You've been unconscious for a little over four days, now."

"How did I...how did I...get here?" Hogan's mind was fuzzy from being out of it for...how long did he say...four days? He was just trying to comprehend what was going on at the moment.

"We brought you in by car and had you put on a stretcher before bringing you in here."

" _We_ ,"

"Sergeant Wilson and I."

Hogan lifted his head a little and looked at the doctor puzzled.

"Joe?" He asked, as if not recognizing the name.

As if right on cue, Wilson walked out from the back of the infirmary, saw Hogan awake, and nearly dropped the tray of medicine he was carrying. He set it down on a nearby cot and hurried to McCoy's side, still taking in the shock.

"He's...Colonel Hogan's...he...when did he wake up, Doctor?" Wilson gasped.

"About a minute ago," McCoy answered, grinning.

Wilson could not help but smile.

"Welcome back, Colonel. You scared us near to death. I thought you weren't gonna ever come around," he said.

Hogan let out a huge breath and rubbed his belly.

"Why does my stomach hurt?" He asked, in slight discomfort.

"You were suffering internal bleeding due to weak blood veins in your abdomen. One of the areas looked like you took a punch to the gut that caused it," McCoy answered softly. Both he and Wilson did not want to arouse the man after just coming out of unconsciousness.

Hogan was silent for a brief moment, as if trying to recall something within his past.

"I do remember someone punching me in the stomach, now that you mention it," the American officer finally said.

"What _do_ you remember, Colonel? And don't push yourself. What you know is best for now," McCoy spoke, soothing.

Hogan swallowed and answered.

"I remember...I was in a farmhouse...and there were three guys there...I can't remember their faces, but I remember they claimed to be from some bizarre place...don't ask me what the name was, 'cause I can't remember."

"That's just fine, Colonel. What else?" Wilson asked.

Hogan sighed and put his left arm behind his head, being that his other was hooked to an IV and resting comfortably on his belly for the moment.

"What else…" Hogan thought to himself, before answering again. "They kept asking me why I killed somebody. I can't recall whether they said his name or not, but I supposedly killed someone they knew, which I didn't."

"We know that, sir. You wouldn't kill anyone unless in self defense." Wilson replied.

"...then I woke up here," Hogan finished.

"Do you happen to remember anything else?" McCoy asked.

Hogan did not answer for the longest time. He finally looked again at Wilson and McCoy.

"Why is my mind so foggy? Can hardly think straight," he wondered.

"We had to perform a very long, strenuous, and challenging brain operation. You had edema and a cerebral thrombosis," McCoy reported.

Hogan simply lay there gawking at him, as if McCoy had just started speaking Chinese to the man.

"A what?" He asked, groggy.

"You had a blood clot pressing down onto your brain, and watery fluid doing the exact same thing. We believe this was due to brain trauma you endured from being hit repeatedly over the head," McCoy corrected himself.

"I remember being hit in the head...twice...who and what did it I can't think of," Hogan answered.

"We assume one was out in the forest the night you were kidnapped," Wilson said.

"Yeah...I was returning from…" Hogan paused and suddenly seemed more coherent. He turned to Wilson and McCoy with a raised eyebrow. "How did you know I was out in the forest?"

Wilson and McCoy turned to each other, wondering if they should tell Hogan everything that had happened while he was kidnapped after just regaining consciousness. They decided they would tell the main parts and leave the small details later for the others.

"Colonel Hogan, I am Lieutenant Commander and Dr. Leonard McCoy of the USS Vulcan." The Starfleet medic introduced himself formally.

"The Navy, huh?" Hogan asked. "Why's the Navy here in the middle of Germany?"

"We were sent from Naval Intelligence to look for you with the assistance of your men."

Hogan raised an eyebrow again.

"Who's we? There's more of you?" He questioned.

McCoy was about to answer, when Kirk and Spock came in from the back through the tunnel entrance. Kirk was smiling like a kid in a candy store. Spock, his arms behind his back, had his usual non expressionless look on.

"Bones, they got a whole lounge down there! With a pool table, a chemistry lab, guest rooms, it's like a little hotel down there," the captain elated, completely unaware of Hogan regaining consciousness.

"Jim," McCoy warned.

"Captain," Spock said, pointing at Hogan.

Kirk looked at Spock quickly, then turned to what he was pointing to and saw colonel's face had gone completely pale, swallowing a tight knot down.

"Who...who...who are they?" Hogan asked, starting to breathe quickly.

"Take it easy, Colonel. You're alright. Just relax, sir, please. I can't bare the idea of you having a relapse into unconsciousness again," Wilson begged.

"Who are these people, then?" Hogan demanded, meekly. He sounded less threatening due to his current medical condition.

"Colonel Hogan...you're awake," Kirk spoke with glee.

"Jim, later. Just answer his questions to make him less anxious," McCoy said softly.

"Right," Kirk said, then turned back to look at the colonel. "Colonel Hogan, I am Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Vulcan. The man who's been caring for you is Dr. Leonard McCoy, my Chief Medical Officer, and behind me is my second in command, Commander Spock."

Both hands and arms resting on his middle, Hogan lifted his head up briefly to look at the men carefully. He then gently lay back down on his pillow with Wilson's assistance. Though bandaged behind his head, he did not dare let the risk of Hogan landing on his stitches roughly happen. The scar was close to the left and went down a little on his neck.

"If you're with the Navy, how come you're disguised as Gestapo?" Hogan asked, suspicious.

Kirk had a feeling the commanding officer would be a bit more thorough with his questions on who they were and had prepared himself for that.

"In order to sneak into camp to meet with your men, we had to make us less...distracting." Kirk worded his sentence carefully.

Hogan nodded, though he did not look like he was one hundred percent sold yet.

"So," he began. "What did you use as your excuse to fool Kommandant Klink? He's not as stupid as he looks...for the most part."

"We had one of my men dress up as an RAF sergeant who just 'supposedly' was picked up by Gestapo and driven to the nearest POW camp by us," the captain replied.

"There's _another_ one of you? Where is he?"

"Oh, somewhere out in the compound with the others, I'm sure."

Hogan raised his eyebrow and looked at Kirk suspiciously, then looked back at Spock, who had been quiet through all of this.

"And you," Hogan said to Spock. "You've been the most quiet...why?"

"Colonel Hogan, you did not wish to speak with me. Therefore, I did not see any logical reason for interrupting your conversation between yourself and the Captain," the Vulcan replied calmly.

Hogan glared at Kirk.

"Did not see any _logical_ reason?"

Kirk chuckled softly.

"Strict family background. All work, no fun, Colonel. Surely you understand that."

"To an extent."

The door to the infirmary opened, catching Hogan's attention. He saw an unfamiliar RAF man walk in. He was a little taller than Newkirk, had slick black hair, and brown eyes.

"Captain! This camp's got _everything_! A basketball court, a volleyball court, recreation center, movie nights, a shower room, I didn't know such a generous kommandant even _existed_!" Scotty cried, stunned with what he was witnessing. He did not think a humane German soldier was such a thing back in World War II.

Hogan studied him carefully. _A Scotsman_ , he thought to himself.

All Kirk did was smile at his engineer, then gestured to Hogan.

"Colonel Hogan, this is my Chief Engineering Officer, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, or Scotty, as everyone calls him."

Scotty looked puzzled at Kirk for a while before turning to Hogan, and a bold smile broke out.

"Colonel Hogan! Yer awake, Sir! I was so worried that yah weren't gonna come out of it!" He cheered.

Hogan gave a weak smile.

"I appreciate your concern. I think I'm gonna be alright." The American officer turned to look at both McCoy and Wilson, then smiled a little more. "I've apparently been in good hands."

Wilson and McCoy both smiled at Hogan, then nodded.

"Oh, I've gotta tell the lads, Captain!" Scotty cried. He was about to run for it, when Wilson's voice stopped him.

" _No one_ will be getting Sergeants Kinchloe and Carter and/or Corporals Newkirk and LeBeau! There's too many people visiting with him enough as it is. I won't risk my patient, let alone my commanding officer, having a relapse and possibly going back into unconsciousness!" His voice was harsh.

"Sergeant Wilson, I must state that according to several studies I have read, stress is not the only causing factor of relapsing back into unconsciousness. There is also the factors of a weak heart, blood clots, high or low blood pressure, high cholesterol, low blood sugar, fatigue…" Spock was cut off by McCoy.

"My God, Spock! The man just woke up from a coma, and you're already spitting facts out at him?!"

"I was just giving the possibilities of what would cause the colonel to suffer a relapse, Doctor. It is not just the one factor that is the overall reason for causing such a result."

 _Damn Vulcan logic_ , McCoy thought to himself.

"Joe," Hogan said weakly. "I wanna see my men...please. I need them to know I'm okay."

Wilson sighed and nodded.

"Alright," he said, giving in. He then turned to Spock, Kirk, and Scotty. "You three, then. Over there. I don't need the man feeling claustrophobic!"

Kirk, Spock, and Scotty agreed to the conditions, and moved to the front of the infirmary.

Wilson turned to look at McCoy after scanning to check if Hogan was still good.

"Well," the camp medic said. "You wanna grab them or shall I?"

"Considering I left camp early this morning, I would say you, Sergeant. Besides...I think they would prefer hearing the news from you," McCoy answered, with a smile.

Wilson smiled and turned to look at Hogan one last time before leaving.

"I'll be back with your boys in a bit, Colonel," he said, with a wink.

Hogan smiled small back.

"I can't wait," he said.

Wilson nodded and walked out of the infirmary to find Hogan's men.


	16. Chapter 16: A Reunion At Last!

**A/N:** Well folks, it's come to an end. I'm glad to see people have enjoyed my first crossover story. And thank you for the constructive criticism! Highly appreciative! Here's my closing chapter and hope it's a good one! Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 16: A Reunion At Last!:**

Carter was sitting on the bench of barracks two, sadly staring out into the compound where Hogan usually was wandering around and watching the other prisoners involved in their daily activities. It was more painful for him to look up every once and awhile, expecting to see Hogan standing there leaning against the barracks with his legs and arms crossed watching from there and by his side.

The young sergeant turned to his left and looked up, seeing no Hogan even though he had been hoping for the 500th time that he would see him there. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away; then he cupped his chin in his hands and sighed. He went back to watching Newkirk, LeBeau, and Kinch in front of him playing with a volleyball...the same thing they had been doing for the past three days now.

Kinch bumped the ball to LeBeau, who then set it to Newkirk. The Englishman went in to bump it to Kinch, then shook his head and caught the volleyball instead.

"Mates, I'm getting real bored with this. We've done nothing but volleyball for the past three days, now." He groaned.

"He's right you know, _mon ami_ ," LeBeau replied to Kinch.

The leading sergeant sighed and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I guess we should find something else to do," he said softly.

"We could play Mafia," LeBeau suggested.

"We need _five_ people to play that game, Louis," Newkirk said, irritated.

"Oh," the little Frenchman said sadly. "Sorry...I forgot."

"What about that game we used to play...what was it called…" Kinch started snapping his fingers to try and remember the name of it. It dawned him and snapped loudly. " _That's_ it: King of the Hill."

"Klink banned that game 'cause it kept injuring too many people. Remember when Louis broke his ankle from a game once?" Newkirk asked.

LeBeau shook his head.

"That was _not_ a good day," he said sadly.

"Oh! What about Tin Can Shoot Out?" Newkirk cried.

"Klink banned that one, too...maybe it _wasn't_ a good idea to just leave the cans all over the compound," LeBeau remarked.

Kinch nodded and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Klink was _not_ happy with breaking his back," the radioman added in.

"Well, would _you_ be happy if you broke your back?" Newkirk asked, soft.

All three of them moaned. There was _nothing_ for them to do.

"The only game left is Ghost in the Graveyard, but it needs to be dark out for that one," Newkirk groaned.

"I'm almost desperate that I'll play Duck Duck Goose to keep us entertained," LeBeau muttered.

"What scares me more is that I'm with yah on the exact same page," the Englishman sadly answered.

The three were so deep in their thoughts, that they did not notice Wilson come over to them. It was LeBeau that finally noticed the camp medic and made everyone aware of it.

"Joe is behind you guys," he softly spoke.

Newkirk and Kinch turned slowly and looked at Wilson, whose face was expressionless.

"Monsieur Spock looks like that all the time; that it doesn't even bother me anymore," LeBeau said.

"How is he, Joe?" Kinch asked softly.

Wilson's eyes flickered from Kinch to Newkirk to LeBeau to Carter and back to Kinch again.

"If you would follow me, men," Wilson said. He turned back and headed towards the infirmary.

Kinch exchanged looks with Newkirk, LeBeau, and Carter. They were all wondering what was going on. They felt that whatever it was, it did not sound good when the camp medic spoke. The four of them all followed off after Wilson and walked into the infirmary to find Kirk, Spock, and Scotty sitting in the front talking to one another. They noticed the four men and turned to face them.

"How is he, Captain?" Newkirk asked sadly.

"You'll have to ask one of them," Kirk said, pointing to McCoy and Wilson.

The four of Hogan's men sighed and walked over to where Wilson and McCoy were standing at the foot of Hogan's bed. The colonel had fallen asleep, although his men still thought he was unconscious.

Carter had gone to the other side, sat in a chair, and took Hogan's hand in his. He squeezed it gently and did not let go, fearing he'd lose him forever if he were to do so. Newkirk sat down on Hogan's right, and watched the sleeping man sadly. LeBeau frowned, a look of depression all over his face, and gazed at Hogan, standing beside Kinch on the right side of their commanding officer.

The radioman sighed and turned to look at Wilson and McCoy.

"Why are we in here, Joe?" Kinch sadly asked. "I don't think we can handle much more of this."

Hogan fluttered his eyes open and looked over to his right, seeing Newkirk, LeBeau, and Kinch. Hogan's men all gasped and shot their glances at the two medics in front of them.

Wilson could not help but laugh.

" _That's_ why," he said.

All four men smiled and looked back at Hogan. They did not think they could be any happier than at that very moment.

"Colonel!" All of them cried in joy.

"You're alright, _mon Colonel_!" LeBeau cheered.

Hogan chuckled softly.

"Of course I am. Who's gonna keep you all in line if I died?" He asked, smiling.

Kinch laughed.

"I'm glad to see you still have your wit, Sir," he said.

Hogan smirked.

"Sorta, Kinch," he softly said. He felt someone holding his hand and smiled, knowing whom it was. He turned his head to Carter and smiled at his explosives technician. "I heard you."

"You did, Colonel?" Carter asked.

Hogan nodded gently.

"I did," he said.

Carter smiled and leaned in for a hug, but quickly pulled himself back. He felt it weird to hug his commanding officer and in front of his friends, too.

Hogan smiled and held out his left arm.

"Come here, Carter," he said quietly.

Carter grinned back and hugged Hogan before sitting back and continuing to talk with him.

"Boy, did we miss you, Gov'nor...I don't think I've ever been more scared in me entire life," Newkirk softly told Hogan. None of the men felt they needed to be around a whole bunch of noise. They wanted their commanding officer comfy and relaxed...in a nice, quiet environment, being he just woke up from a coma.

"I thought I was never gonna hear your voice again," LeBeau softly said.

Hogan smiled at the little Frenchman.

"I'm alright, LeBeau...I will be anyways." He let out a breath of air.

"Just take it easy, Colonel. You'll be better soon," Kinch said, smiling.

"I know, Kinch...I just hate lying here and doing nothing."

"Oooo! I can bring one of your books, Colonel! You love reading. Maybe it'll help pass time until you can come back to the barracks," Carter said, grinning.

Hogan closed his eyes and gave the young man a small smile.

"Thanks, Carter...I don't think I have enough energy right now, though."

"That's alright, Colonel. I'll bring one by later, so when you are ready, you have something to do."

"Alright. I think Colonel Hogan's had enough for now," Wilson said.

"Oh, can't we visit with him a little longer, Joe?" Carter begged.

" _S'il vous plaît_?" LeBeau asked.

Wilson shook his head.

"He needs his rest, guys. You can come back later, I promise," the camp medic said.

The four men sighed and looked back at their commanding officer, who seemed to be fighting off sleep.

"We'll be back soon, Colonel. You just focus on getting better," LeBeau spoke.

"We're thinking of you, buddy," Carter said.

Hogan barely nodded with his eyes closed. He was quickly falling asleep.

"Bye, Gov'nor," Newkirk softly said.

"Sleep well, _mon Colonel_ ," LeBeau said, smiling.

"Good bye, Colonel," Kinch said.

"We'll see you real soon, boy...Colonel," Carter said.

The four men quietly rose from their seats, and walked towards the door, but looked over at Hogan once more to make sure he was alright. Seeing he had fallen asleep, they were satisfied and left the infirmary.

* * *

After a week, Hogan was starting to get better each day. He was still very tired, but he had gained a healthy amount of weight back, his skin color had returned to normal, and his brain trauma was healing nicely. Wilson told the guys that if he kept up, Hogan would be able to go back to the barracks in another week.

Knowing their services were done, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty were ready to leave for their normal time period.

Newkirk, Kinch, Carter, and LeBeau, dressed in their blacks, left with them out of camp one night. They stopped in the middle of the forest, and said their goodbyes and thanks to the four men, who had helped them get Hogan back safe and sound.

"I don't know how we're ever gonna thank you guys enough for what you did for us," Kinch said to Kirk.

Kirk simply smiled.

"Nothing but your gratitude is necessary, Sergeant Kinchloe. Knowing Colonel Hogan will make a complete recovery is enough for me," the captain said.

The radioman smiled and nodded.

The two men shook hands, then Kinch proceeded to say goodbye to Spock, McCoy, and Scotty.

Newkirk went next and went to Scotty first.

"I'm gonna miss yah, mate. Say 'hello' to the Scotsmen for me?" Newkirk asked, smiling.

Scotty chuckled.

"Next time I see 'em, I'll let them know," he answered.

Newkirk and Scotty shook each others hands, then Carter took his turn to say goodbye. He went up to McCoy and gave him a shy smile.

"Thanks for saving Colonel Hogan, Dr. McCoy...I don't know what I would've done had something happened to him," he spoke sincerely.

The Starfleet medic grinned back and patted the young man's shoulder.

"Just doing my job, son. You take good care of him for me. He's a good man," McCoy answered.

"You sure bet 'cha I will," Carter said.

McCoy chuckled and nodded.

Finally, LeBeau said goodbye to Spock. He made his way towards the Vulcan and looked up at the tall man.

"Well, I guess this is it, _mon ami_." LeBeau began.

Spock simply looked at the little Frenchman.

"Will we see you again, Monsieur Spock?"

"I would highly doubt it, Corporal LeBeau," the Vulcan answered.

"Well, in that case," LeBeau stuck out his hand for Spock to shake it.

The Starfleet commander raised an eyebrow and looked at LeBeau's hand. The only greeting he was used to using was the Vulcan salute. In fact, Spock could not recall the last time he even gave someone a handshake. The gesture was strange to him and continued to only stare at the short man.

"It's a handshake, Monsieur Spock," LeBeau said.

In order to keep their cover, Spock hesitantly pulled out his hand and shook the little Frenchman's.

LeBeau returned to his friends, then turned around and waved 'bye' to the four men, who returned the same gesture. The four Starfleet officers walked off, and once out of sight, Hogan's men turned to look at one another.

"What do we tell Klink about Scotty, mate? We can't ruin Klink's perfect 'no escape' record," Newkirk said.

"Don't worry...I got an idea," Kinch answered.

"What is it, buddy?" Carter asked.

"I'll explain it on the way back to camp."

With that, the four men headed back for Stalag 13.

* * *

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty had returned to the starship and to their normal time. Headed off for their next destination, the four men talked to one another as they walked down the halls. They were once again in their Starfleet uniforms.

"Yah think Colonel Hogan will be alright, Doctor?" Scotty asked, concerned.

McCoy smiled.

"With those four men taking care of him, I don't have a doubt in the world," he answered.

Kirk could not help but smile.

"I've never seen more compassion towards a man in my life. I think Colonel Hogan was truly a lucky man," he said.

"Luck, Captain, does not have to do anything with the fact of whether or not Colonel Hogan had a loyal commanding team. His treatment towards his men and the way he handled situations was the influence that had made an impact on…" Spock was cut off.

"Just let it go, Spock. It's another one of those 'human sayings' you don't understand." McCoy retorted, irritated.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow at the doctor.

"Fascinating," was all he said.

"Well, gentlemen, shall we go see how our prisoners are doing?" Kirk questioned.

"Fine by me," McCoy said.

"I'd love to see the looks on their faces." Scotty chuckled.

The four Starfleet officers continued talking to one another and made their way down to the brig towards their soon to be convicted prisoners.

* * *

"Where is Sergeant Scott and where is he this instant?!" Klink demanded harshly.

Newkirk, Carter, Kinch, and LeBeau were sitting at the table in barracks two, looking up at the kommandant, who had barged in with Schultz behind him.

"Gestapo took him off earlier while you and Schultzie were in town running errands. Apparently, they found out that he was a traitor of the German army and disguised himself as an RAF sergeant to hide in a POW camp for the remainder of the war. Quite brilliant, might I say," Newkirk answered.

"And why was I not notified by the Gestapo of this?" Klink questioned.

"Well, I mean if you really want Hochstetter to come back that much, Kommandant, then," Kinch was cut off by the German colonel.

"Oh no! Why bother Major Hochstetter? He has so much to do as it is. The Gestapo can have him. I have enough prisoners as it is," he replied, waving his hands at them.

"Does that mean we can escape?" LeBeau asked, smiling.

Klink's face changed to an annoyed glare at the little Frenchman.

"Diiiiiiisssssssmiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssed!" He cried, and stormed out followed by Schultz.

Kinch sighed.

"Well, that solves all but one thing, now." The radioman spoke.

"What's there left to do, mate?" Newkirk asked, perplexed.

Kinch pulled out a deck of cards and held them up for everyone to see.

"Who wants to shuffle first?"


End file.
